silly shoelaces

This was my best idea for a silly photo that included flowers. My last birthday a neighbor gave me a cake and the box was tied up with these shoelaces.  

Today I was introduced to fascinating ideas that brought up interesting memories. 

One of the memories is of Cuzco, Peru. If you hike the Incan Trail with a reputable company they'll have you in the area for a few days before you head off so you can adjust to the altitude. One of those days we saw a large terraced area. We were told that there was a theory that it was not just for agricultural production, it was for agricultural RESEARCH by the Incans - that each terrace had a subtly different microclimate, that soil from an associated microclimate in the empire was located at the terrace, and that scientists had found seeds from those areas of the empire in those terraces. I can't find anything online supporting this so there may be nothing to it. I did, however, find this interesting article about learning and using Incan farming techniques and crops today. 

Speaking of growing things, I realized that my leaf blower/vacuum and 50- foot power cord meant that I could take care of the leaves on my neighbors' brand new grass lawns more easily than they could. I put the chopped-up leaves on the bed I have under the deck right next to the house. This is the shadiest area of my yard. No sane person would plant something there. It makes no logical sense. But when I put stone under the deck I just could not stand the idea of straight lines, so I created this bed and the middle bed to introduce some curves. I do have living plants there, but it is only the hardiest, toughest stuff:  liriope and vinca. 

I hope you are having a good weekend. 

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Wait! Hold the presses! I found something! https://www.theonlyperuguide.com/peru-guide/the-sacred-valley/highlights/moray-ruins/