Jennie&Tim on 1/5/2008 at 04:30

---

I do.

Right now my obsessions are double English primroses and old garden roses.

The rose obsession is exacerbated by helpmefind.com, where anytime anyone mentions a rose I can go find information on it and where to buy it. I've been spending my evenings crusing the net for roses, so many pretty flowers--oh the pictures! The imagined scents, myrrh, tea, citrus, apple, damask, centifolia, clove, and more. Lady Banks in trees, Souvenir de la Malmaison climbing arches, Secret Garden Musk Climber, Paul's Himalayan Musk Rambler, Sombreuil on a fence, the apothecary rose, mutabilis. Teas, Noisettes, Tea-Noisettes, Moss (oh Goldmoss!), Albas, more... I have a tree or two to fill, and a back corner that could use a nice anchor, perhaps an Alba, Great Maiden's Blush. And a climber to go next to the new clematis I asked a local nursery to order. I'm getting the garden in order, pulling all the weeds up and rescuing my grapes from the thimbleberry bushes. I'm feeling a bit under the weather at the moment (just sniffles and a headache); but am still managing to keep the peonies and new beds weeded and trimmed.

Double primroses are lovely too, and I want more of them, but they just don't exist over here in large quantities, unlike roses. It's frustrating, because I know more used to exist, and do exist in green England. I have one Jack-in-the-Green, Dawn Ansell; and she's lovely, but I can't find any more. There's one nursery that has Hose-in-Hose primroses listed, but they aren't currently propagating or selling them. I have actually checked out some books from the library with the idea of figuring out how to breed my Dawn Ansell with some of my other colors to get more primroses. If it's even possible, double flowers are frequently infertile because the extra petals used to be the sexy bits.

I get these garden obsessions each Spring. Last year was peonies. I now have three new kinds sprouting garnet stalks. Summer will keep me busy, and in the Fall I usually find some sort of food to get interested in. Last year it was pots, I scoured for information about pots and pans of all sorts.

I also have a milder interest in perfumes for the first time. Someone mentioned blackphoenixalchemylab.com and I find that a fascinating place. Not fascinating enough that I'll spend money there rather than on roses (really, roses are actually fairly inexpensive, less than twenty dollars for plant usually; much less than some; and much less than perfumes which fade and are used up rather than growing).

So, do you have obsessions, do they vary predictably, vary wildly, or are you faithful through the years?

demagogue on 1/5/2008 at 05:09

---

I believe the dawn of the Internet age will be remembered as the Golden Age of obsession.

At various times I've been obsessed with manoche guitar & stride piano, metaphysics and consciousness, Japan, Israel, poetry . . . It varies wildly, but somehow feels coherent in my mind.

I can relate to that Belle & Sebastian lyric about a girl that is obsessed "with S&M and bible studies, not everyone's cup of tea she would admit to me."

Shug on 1/5/2008 at 05:32

---

rugby, then counter-strike, then internet, then poker

Shug on 1/5/2008 at 05:38

---

i'm adic

i'm addicted to you

Holy Thief on 1/5/2008 at 08:35

---

Armour, Hammerites, Medieval surroundings, close combat weapons, Battles, and Rough'n'tumble. :ebil: