Japonica

    That Jeopardy memory of mine is a little scary sometimes. I was walking in Olympia Park and noticed that the camellia bush near Rocky Branch (creek) was going crazy, not something I would expect on Christmas eve no matter how warm it is. (Very.) And the name Japonica sprung into my head. I looked it up, and indeed, that very bush looked exactly like Wikipedia's idea of a camellia japonica, also called the winter rose. So not that surprising that it would be going nuts this time of year regardless of temperature. The things you learn!
    The name reminded me that growing up we had a bush in the yard that our parents called japonica, so I tried looking it up. I found a lot of plants called Japonica (not surprising, as it just means Japanese), but none of them looked familiar, or even close. I was a little frustrated; it's japonica, dammit! My parents weren't ever wrong. Eventually I turned up https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaenomeles or Japanese quince, in which entry the Wikipedia writer somewhat puts down people who call this Japonica, as it isn't a very specific epithet. Oh yeah? You come over here and say that!:)
    Malcolm sent me a DJI Phantom 3 quadcopter, a seriously badass toy, and now I have to wait for the weather to clear up before I can play with it, which is looking to happen some time in 2017. Just about bouncing off the walls here!