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Annie in Austin
Welcome! As "Annie in Austin" I blog about gardening in Austin, TX with occasional looks back at our former gardens in Illinois. My husband Philo & I also make videos - some use garden images as background for my original songs, some capture Austin events & sometimes we share videos of birds in our garden. Come talk about gardens, movies, music, genealogy and Austin at the Transplantable Rose and listen to my original songs on YouTube. For an overview read Three Gardens, Twenty Years. Unless noted, these words and photos are my copyrighted work.
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Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, April 2009

This bloom day is better than I thought it would be a couple of weeks ago - the garden is hail-scarred but the buds that weren't knocked off keep opening.Annieinaustin, Hailed amaryllisSeven amaryllis from long-ago Christmases grow in the bulb bed - four are in bud and this one opened today. Some have no leaves left at all.


Annieinaustin, Rosa Julia Child'Julia Child' lost a lot of leaves and I found a dozen unopened buds on the ground the morning after the hail. But she's releafing and there were many more buds in reserve.



Annieinaustin, pink climbing roseThe unnamed tall pink climbing rose grows under the roof overhang - unharmed and happy. The flowers seem much larger than last year... maybe because I remembered to fertilize it last month?



Annieinaustin, pineapple guava flowerOut on the patio, one blossom opened on the smaller Pineapple guava/Feijoa sellowiana. This plant and a more established one in the Secret Garden were bashed pretty hard, especially toward the top of the shrubs. But nearer the base of each plant a few buds were sheltered by the branches. I won't hope for fruit, but will enjoy the flowers.


Annieinaustin, passionflowerThe hail did some damage to the Secret Garden Passionvine but most of the holes in the flowers and leaves aren't weather-related. They're the work of caterpillars which will grow up to be Gulf Fritillary butterflies. There were a dozen of them on this vine yesterday. Annieinaustin, gulf frit larvaA few years ago, when the new Passionvine plant consisted of one struggling strand with a few leaves, I killed any caterpillars that appeared. The plant was too fragile and there wasn't enough substance to the plant for the cats to reach the pupa stage. Now that the vine is established and can take the munching, I enjoy the uneaten flowers and let the rest support the butterfly larvae.


Annieinaustin, confederate jasmineThe Confederate Jasmine on the end of the front veranda began to open on Sunday - soon after our guests left. Just walking from the front door to the car can be an intoxicating experience.



Annieinaustin, grape-scented irisIn the Bat-shaped bed, Bridal Wreath spirea is the background for the tall, grape-scented passalong iris from my friend Ellen.



Annieinaustin, hesperaloe parvifloraThe adjacent Pink Entrance Bed is just plain gaudy now - the Weigela 'Rumba' seen in the last post are still blooming, along with deep pink Gaura, the coral colored Hesperaloe parviflora seen above, two pink mini-roses, creeping ice plant and a 'Belinda's Dream' rose which will show up below.




Annieinaustin, siberian irisIn the back yard the dappled sun under the pecan trees made this unnamed Siberian iris look striped, but it's really solid violet-blue. I'm thrilled to have it not only survive but be happy in Austin - there are 15 bloom stalks this year.



Annieinaustin, red anemoneNot too far from the Siberian iris I planted some mixed Anemone bulbs last fall. For me Anemones bloom but don't return. The red one above looks similar to red anemones from other springs.


Annieinaustin, white anemoneBut I've never seen a white anemone with this shape before. It's really pretty and different.




Annieinaustin, philadelphus inodorusAlong the back fence a Southern variety of MockOrange grows. It's Philadelphus inodorus, also called English Dogwood, and although it's lovely, it's also unscented.



Annieinaustin, Spanish lavenderThe Spanish Lavender is cheerful and pretty but its rather pleasant scent is somehow not quite the same as 'real' lavender. The Fernleaf lavender that grew in this bed last year had no lavender scent at all. Luckily it was tender and the Fernleaf plant croaked over the winter. Once the Fernleaf was gone, the Spanish Lavender/Lavendula stoechas and the Sweet Lavender/Lavendula heterophylla started to expand and grow. The Sweet lavender is just making buds - so far they smell like the real thing!




Annieinaustin, calibrachoa hanging basketAt our last house the hummingbirds would come for Calibrachoa - this basket hangs outside the breakfast room in hopes it will entice them close so we can see them.



Annieinaustin, Clematis RamonaThe 'Ramona' clematis isn't in the ground, but grows in a container on the bench near the shed. It's got about 7 or 8 large flowers right now.



Annieinaustin, Salvia roemerianaThis is a new Salvia - Cedar sage/Salvia roemeriana. It's a native plant, frequently found growing under junipers AKA cedar trees. In my yard it's planted next to the new small Yaupon holly with cedar mulch all around it...think it will be fooled?


Below are all the photos Blogger insisted on uploading sideways, even though they've been formatted and saved in landscape form. This happens every bloom day and is a huge, time-sucking pain! The last few times I've reopened every incorrectly oriented photo in Photoshop Elements, resaving them from jpgs to pngs then uploading again. It seems to work but the pngs are huge files compared to jpgs. Blogger churns as it uploads and my portion of Blogger MB's shrinks too quickly. Philo and I are trying to decide on a new roof and I'm too tired and cranky to mess around fixing them tonight, so even if the words wrap around them and look stupid, too bad.
Annieinaustin, pale apricot miniroseThe first open flower on a pale apricot mini-rose that was a gift from our daughter and son-in-law a couple of springs ago. I love the color and it's making buds and flowers so maybe it's finally in the right place!


Annieinaustin, rose Belinda's DreamRosa 'Belinda's Dream' from the Pink Entrance Bed in the front, with oregano and ice plant below.


Annieinaustin, ClematisThis clematis twines up at the base of the Lady Banks rose. It was mislabled but looks a lot like the photos of 'Miss Bateman' which is close enough for me. Think there are six flowers right now.



Annieinaustin, Ixia, corn liliesIxia/Corn lilies planted in fall 2007 bloomed last spring and then returned this year. And instead of being smaller the second year - the florets are larger!


Sooner or later I'll get a list of all that is in bloom today (with botanical names) up on Annie's Addendum. Have fun visiting the other blogs participating in
Carol of May Dreams Garden's monthly roundup of what's in flower at Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

37 comments:

  1. Ooh, that white anemone sure is pretty. I'm glad to see that so much is blooming in your garden despite the hail. Your pineapple guava blooms give me hope that mine will do something soon. I'll have to recheck again tomorrow.

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  2. Ooh, what a great list, Annie! That 'Ramona,' is she in a container and spreading on the ground... or is she in a container and propped up against something on which to climb? I keep thinking about growing a clematis along the ground instead of up a trellis or arbor, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

    Kim/Blackswampgirl
    (Posting "anonymous"ly because Blogger won't let me sign in--argh!)

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  3. Hi Annie, so sorry for your hail damage, but there is still so much beauty in your garden, the roses are fabulous. I will have to think about Julia Child, for I love yellow roses. The white anemone looks like a Camellia. They don't return reliably for me either, but one or two do. Happy to see the Ixia has larger flowers also, that bodes well here, even if they are all white instead of the mixed colors shown on the package. Love the little pineapple guava flower, so exotic looking. Happy bloom day!
    Frances

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  4. It's always a special treat to tour your garden, in real life or virtually. You have so much in bloom. You inspire me to get more plants and add more variety to my own garden!

    Thanks for joining in for bloom day, and even the sideways pictures were wonderful.

    Carol, May Dreams Gardens

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  5. Annie, your garden blooms are gorgous right now. Your garden looks like earky summer would look here. Those roses are yummy.

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  6. What a lovely list of blooms you have, Annie. I almost cried though when I read that the Fernleaf Lavender didn't overwinter--I just bought some this spring (my one plant purchase)and had thought it would stick around awhile--oh well! Those roses are lovely!

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  7. The tattered leaves of the amaryllis brought home again...how severe the hail damage has been in your garden...then there is the roof! But you have to love flowers; they just soldier on and continue to thrive and bloom! Beautiful roses, clematis, salvia (we will be waiting till summer for that lovely to bloom) and the lavenders are all wonderful.
    Annie, I want to sit on the porch with you and listen to music, your water fountain and take in this spring time view. Have a delicious day...gail

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  8. Annie,
    Your flowers are so pretty. One of these days I'm going to get some Corn Lilies, I like the ones with the green blooms. We planted some passion flower seeds, but they haven't come up yet.--Randy

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  9. Happy Bloom Day, Annie. Looks like your garden is recovering nicely and you have put on a wonderful show for us. The Amaryllis look lovely and I an so jealous of that pineapple guava. Wow - that's so cool. The passionflower vine is so pretty and the caterpillars are really scary looking, aren't they? Interesting that the grow into such beautiful butterfliles. I especially like your Siberian Iris -- none of my irises are ready yet, but my fingers are crossed.

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  10. You share your blooms so generously - even when you obviously have other pressing issues (like the need for a new roof). Thanks for wrestling with sideways photos and taking time to share the beauty.

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  11. You certainly have a wonderful list~ your garden has bounced back nicely from the damage. I love that fact that you have the caterpillars on your passionvine...I would love to see the butterflies!

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  12. Pam/Digging, they were just St Brigid hybrids - always a surprise! I hope you get some Feijowa flowers, too.

    Philo built a narrow growing-on bench for containers up against the back fence. The container of 'Ramona' sits there with a 30-inch tall metal trellis in the pot, Blackswamp Kim, but some of it also leans on the fence. Because Ramona is doing so well back there, I've upped the container size and delayed planting it in the ground.

    Hi Faire Frances! You pegged it - there is a resemblance to a small camellia. Julia Child gets more blackspot than I'd like, but Yellow Roses have been "our flower" for more than 40 years so I needed one. I love the buttery color, so am still glad I didn't wait for the Double Yellow Knockout Randy has been talking about!

    Well that variety may keep me from getting bored, Carol, but it also means there's never much of a floral show from a distance. You have to get up close to notice most of the flowers. Have fun visiting your invention!

    Thanks, Lisa at Greenbow- as long as the temps mostly stay under 90°F, it will seem like spring to us.

    Morning Glories, I bought a 4" pot of fernleaf at Hill Country Nursery last spring and by fall it was 3-feet around and smothering the other lavenders. Then when repeated freezes came it died back fast, making an ugly blob of sticks where I needed an evergreen. The flowers & foliage were attractive and it was interesting to grow for one year but I won't get it again.

    Oh Gail - the garden has as many lines and wrinkles as I do! But you're right - the will to live and grow is strong in these delicate looking flowers. I do hope we'll meet again in the real world.

    Well, Jamie & Randy, just quoted you to Frances on that yellow rose, and hope you get the corn lilies. Good luck with your passion vine.

    One of my Divas of the Dirt friends has Pineapple guava, Diana, so I was pretty sure it would do well in Austin. Good luck with the iris!

    Thank you for commenting, TexasDeb. It's fun to share flowers, but when my camera broke last year I was out of the Bloom Day game for awhile.

    Just remember, Leslie - I only show you what I want you to see ;-] The loquat and camellia are pitiful.
    I've tried to photograph the Gulf Fritillary butterflies but haven's had much success. If I get a good photo, believe me - it will be on the blog!

    Thanks for all the comments,

    Annie

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  13. I'm glad to see your garden recovering from the hail damage. It's so beautiful this month! I wonder if you Clematis isn't 'Henryi? It looks a lot like mine, which was also mislabeled, which I have tentatively ID'd as 'Henryi.'

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  14. What a great collection of plants. You have so many interesting ones. I especially find the pineapple guave intriguing. That is something!

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  15. Annie, it's all so lovely, and I'm sorry you got hit by hail. I'm delighted to see your pineapple guava picture--I probably must wait another year for mine. And your mock orange convinces me I must find a spot. All is just magnificent in your garden!

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  16. I love the guava flower. I have never seen it before. Ditto the corn lily- a new one for me. I'm glad your garden recovered from the hail damage.

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  17. The roof is tattered but the plants said, "Hail, Schmail!"

    I'm loving your roses most of all right now. And the native sage is intriguing. Is the foliage very fragrant?

    That spiny caterpillar looks dangerous.

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  18. Oh wow ... lovely! So many blooms. I enjoyed the pictures very much. I've never seen Pineapple guava before and it's so unique.

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  19. So much to see. So much to say.

    I just bought some Spanish lavender too. I've never had luck with it before but hope springs eternal in April in Austin. The scent is very un-lavender-like. I read that it was ill-suited to cooking or other uses of English/French lavenders.

    The word I always use to describe the scent of Confederate jasmine is also "intoxicating". And like yours, mine always blooms after the guests leave. Just shy?

    The white anemone is gorgeous. I also planted some last year which didn't come back. One tried but it was too dry. I might try them again when we're out of the drought. They are so lovely.

    I say this every time I see yours...I must get some clematis. And your 'Julia Child' rose seems like an old friend now. She is even lovelier in person if that can be imagined.

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  20. Beautiful, just beautiful, Annie. I am so glad that your garden seems to have escaped unscathed from the worst of the hailstorm. The white anemone is gorgeous and quite unusual; and, I'd love to smell that jasmine!

    I understand your frustrations with Blogger--it always seems to leave spaces where I don't want them and none where I do. After awhile, I just swear at it and post it anyway:)

    Glad you stopped by to read about the Illinois Marathon; all the feedback in Champaign has been positive, so I think this will be an annual event.

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  21. Is there a disease called "Clematis-envy"? If so, I've got it. I also envy your jasmine. I'm waiting for mine to flower to I can make some jasmine green tea lime jelly. While I could cheat and use jasmine green tea, I prefer to wait until the jasmine blooms so I can include some flowers in the jelly.

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  22. Oh, Annie, isn't it nice when there are more blooms than you might think! That hail storm was really bad. I'm so sorry about it for you. Fortunately that's one thing we've not had to contend with but what a lot of damage they can do.

    Your blooms are many and so colorful... all sizes and shapes. The pineapple guava - so unique and the white anemone so luscious. I like the corn lilies, too... well I like all of them.
    Meems @ Hoe and Shovel

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  23. I miss clematis! We had a couple while in NE, but haven't found a spot for them here. The pineapple guava is gorgeous. I watched your video of the hail storm. Yikes! That was some serious hail.

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  24. Great Bloom Day post! I've never seen a Pineapple Guava bloom before -- very interesting-looking. Love the passionflower too.

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  25. Love the photo of the caterpiller...and I never thought of Spanish Lavender as "not real Lavender" but as the pretty one:)

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  26. I'm amazed by how many flowers are in bloom in your garden. It was good to see that the hail hadn't taken out too many flowers. The white Anemone is so beautiful. The new Salvia is striking. I love the contrast between the red blooms and the dark stems.I like the corn lilies and the Weigela (I think I just mentioned that in my last comment.) The roses are gorgeous. I'm totally wishing that my roses looked so good in summer. I'd love to have a grape-scented Iris too.

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  27. Hi Annie,
    Your garden is full of wonderful blooms. Does the unidentified rose have a yummy scent? I have mock orange here but it has a really amazing smell. It is all around my house and is almost in bloom and when it blooms the whole neighborhood smells heavenly. I love it. Enjoy the spring.

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  28. I didn't know that hummingbirds like Callibrachoa. Another plant for the hummingbird list! Is it my imagination, or are those flowers larger than usual Callibrachoa?

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  29. Annie, I admired your blooms on bloom day, but for some reason my comment didn't get saved. Your blooms are gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. I definitely think I need a clematis or two, and anemones look like a good one to try also. Great recovery from the hailstorm!

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  30. Annie, your blooms and your photos are gorgeous! Sorry you're having to deal with hail damage. So stressful. Random hail storms are the scary dark side of spring in central texas.

    After seeing your mock orange in bloom, I really must have one. And more clematis, too -- yours are so lovely.

    Good luck with the roof...

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  31. Annie, me again. After I left a comment on your bloom day post, I realized it had been a while (too long) since I had visited your blog. Just wanted you to know how much I enjoyed catching up with you and your garden. I especially enjoyed the look back at your kitchen gardens over the years.

    And also, I've been meaning to tell you ... I too have had concerns and have heard lots of conflicting reports about pecan leaves. I decided to trust Howard Garrett, who has never steered me wrong. He says walnut leaves are a problem for nightshade plants, but pecan leaves are okay. In the last few years, I have been including layers of dry pecan leaves along with layers of other organic materials in my veg beds. So far, tomatoes and peppers don't seem to mind.

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  32. Annie,

    The best thing about most flower photos is that it doesn't matter if they're rotated, they still look awesome!

    Katina

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  33. Interesting to see your Southern mock orange and that it's called English dogwood. My master gardeners class just saw one this past week on a field trip; at least that's what they called it. But it's leaves were skinny and shiny. Your leaves look like the leaves on mine, which is supposed to be the regular Mock Orange. Gee, it's so confusing out there!
    Jean
    p.s. I'm jealous of your Leonard Cohen concert!

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  34. You're right: that double white anemone is really special.

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  35. I hadn't heard that the mockorange was also called English dogwood - interesting! Glad to see that you've recovered from much of the hail damage (yes?) - gardens are so forgiving, aren't they?

    Always love the guava flowers - I remember those from last year about this time.

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  36. Hi Mr. McGregor's Daughter - I grew a clematis that was supposed to be 'Henryi' back in Illinois, and it had a different center. But who knows if that one was labeled correctly!

    Phillip, the pineapple guava looked so cool at my friend's house I had to have one!

    Thanks, Linda/Central Texas Gardener - the first plant of pineapple guava was small & took 3 years to bloom. The second plant was bought last summer, but it was a much larger plant to begin with. Hope yours flowers soon!

    The corn lilies were just a couple of dollars, Lancashire rose - I'm brave when things are cheap ;-]

    Oh, Chuck B,, many of the plants are a mess! The evergreen will bear scarred leaves for a while. The foliage on the Cedar sage is just kind of herby-smelling.

    Thank you, Blossom - if you like it, Feijoa/Pineapple guava will grow in Malaysia. Sometimes it's called Guavasteen.

    When both Spanish and Sweet lavenders lived over I was shocked, MSS from Zanthan Gardens!
    Saw your tweet on the name, and remembered reading that Confederate + jasmine referred to the Confederate States of Malaysia. A few flowers had opened when guests were leaving - enough to catch the fragrance if you tried.

    I see clematis around my neighborhood - maybe it's our slightly different soil?

    Nor really unscathed, Prairie Rose - there was, lots of damage to evergreens, vegetables,annuals, foliage plants and trees & half the anemones and ranunculus were smashed. Much of what is blooming was protected in some way by roof overhangs or trees.
    Wish I knew enough code to boss around the picture layout!

    Compared to the hundreds of flowers my Illinois clematis used to make, my four plants give paltry shows, Weeping Sore, but a dozen flowers are better than none aren't they!
    This jasmine isn't a true Jasminium but Trachelospermum jasminoides - not sure if it would be safe for tea!

    Thanks, Meems - some stuff recovers fast, thank heavens.
    I do like to experiment with bulbs and small plants!

    Sometimes I've had to grow them in containers, Curmudgeon, but there has been a clematis at all 5 of the houses we've owned... first met them as a teenager and fell in love!

    The pineapple guava seems to be the blooming day hit! Thanks for visiting, Sweet Bay.

    Spanish lavender is quite decorative, isn't it, ConsciousGardener, ? But you can't make it into lavender wands.

    Hello Kate Smudges - we could blame Carol for asking us to show flowers when your snow is just melted!
    I like the new Salvia, too - think it just blooms in spring and bails when the heat arrives.

    Thank you, Chigiyleb. The climbing rose has an old-fashioned fragrance- my son says there's a little citrus in it, but my nose is too old to catch that.
    Scented mockorange was what I knew & grew in Illinois. The P. inodorus was already here and it's Southern tough, but I miss the scented double Philadelphus coronarius.

    Even if the hummers didn't like Calibrachoa, I'd want them, Entangled. Can't find the tag, but this was some new 'improved' variety. Some botanists don't think they deserve a separate genus- think they're too close to petunias and I think they keep recrossing them.

    Thanks, Robin from Get Grounded - good luck with whatever you try!

    We've been smacked by smaller hail, Renee's Roots, but never anything like this. You are right - the roof/gutter situation is very stressful!

    As to the pecans, maybe the pecan leaves are okay as one element in the organic matter, but the two big trees were the only leaves in back and at first we put all of them into our little vegetable plot. I think that concentrated whatever juglone was present. Guess the trust you have in Howard Garrett is what I have for Tom Spencer.

    Thanks, Katina - that may be the 'right' way to look at it!

    Hi Jean - maybe more than one plant with common name of English Dogwood? That's why I included the latin name - mine matches horticultural websites & photos of Philadelphus inodorus.
    The Leonard Cohen concert was very special for us!

    You know, Kathy - I'm really starting to wonder about that "anemone". Now another couple of hail survivors have opened in non-anemone colors. I wonder if it could be a different kind of ranunculus? Planted some of those, too.

    The English Dogwood name came up in web searches when I first saw this shrub in bloom, Pam. We had some rain last week - a little help to the releafing trees & shrubs!

    Thanks for the comments,

    Annie

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  37. You sure had a beautiful Bloom Day! Glad the hail didn't destroy everything...it sure can. Blogger sometimes messes with my pictures too, I think the site just has "hiccups" sometimes.

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