soon-to-be-succulent pot

This was on the clearance shelf at Michael's recently and I knew I'd kick myself if I didn't fork over the $5.00 and change to own it.

The Christmas design was just not condusive to year-round display so a little spray paint was applied and voila!

After it had spent 48 hrs in the house I took it back outside for a coat of clear spray and look what happened! These little webs popped out all over like an attack of varicose veins! Was it because the air was so cold? Actually, the clear spray had been out in the shed so was not at the optimum 60°. The cup was warm but the spray was cold? It isn't the look I was going for but I do like it. Do you suppose the paint will chip off in the textured places now? I'll let you know what happens when it dries.

I wish they'd eat Chasmanthe!

blooming surprises

The Tillandsia produced not one but three flowers! That may be common. I wouldn't know as this is my first one. Here's another first

for me; The Venus fly trap has sent up a flower stalk!

And I really don't remember the String of Pearls blooming for me before...probably because they usually die first. This one is thriving on neglect. It is hanging under the Bonsai-on-steroids, aka Juniper, and just as happy as if it had good sense.

Pruned-by-Deer maybe not so bad!

Last fall Bambi and family dined on this Aeonium, removing all the nice, fat rosettes but leaving one tiny one. So it came into the house

for R & R and just look at it now! TWO rosettes on each stalk. Of all the succulents I have out there, this is the only one they seemed to taste. (unless I'm forgetting something...like what WAS in that green pot anyway..?)

orchids-for-dummies

Gotta love Trader Joe's! Not only do they sell yummy food at delicious prices but also orchids! This little gal was only $7.99 and since I've had such good luck with the white Phalaenopsis, it simply seemed logical to get another one! The hardest part was deciding on the color since there were so many to choose from. According to the plant tag, she came from Matsui Nursery, Inc in Salinas, CA.

This is her big sister. No, cousin. This one will have 4" white blooms with a touch of magenta. Being new to the orchids, I am just amazed that she only lost her last blossom about 8 weeks ago..and it had been on the plant for months! These things are incredible! I have not given her any fert in the 2 years she's been with me...not on purpose but because my Teflon brain cell can't remember to do so. And in spite of what the "directions" say, she has done quite well in temperatures much lower than suggested.

try this again

I just blogged words with these very same pictures, hit the "post" button and off they sailed into outer space, never to be seen again. ha-HA! I'll just try again! Anybody need free firewood?

We wonder how many years this nail has been embedded in this tree's trunk. Its amazing that the chainsaw cut just a tight smidgeon above it. Anyone want to count the rings on this and let us all know how hold the tree is? We know its over 75 years.

All we need are two 8' 2x4's, one new fence board, a handfull of screws, a couple of gizmos, and the electric screwer-inner and voila!

The storm, Part 3

My Knight in Soggy Armor and his Fair Damsel came to the rescue! My brother was busy on the end of a saw too. If we all had neighbors like Larry & Jan, and if we'd all BE neighbors like Larry & Jan, what a fine world this would be! Naturally it absolutely poured on us for the, hey, did anybody happen to note just how long we we were out there?..entire time and the rain stopped the moment we were done. All of us absolutely soaked to the marrow.

(that's my brother peeking from behind the debris) Olive wood is very, very dense and very, very heavy so even though the tree came slowly down on the house, it DID do some damage. However, after looking at local damage photos, and seeing what happened at some other neighbors' houses, WE WERE REALLY LUCKY! The occupants have reported no leaking and the owner of the home did not faint dead away when she came by to inspect the situation. There are, of course, some repairs that need to be made to the house as well as the replacement of ONE 8' section of fence. There were only a couple of broken boards and a bent doohickey. Fence repair will be easy.
THIS fence repair will be easy. Jeff used screws instead of nails....the only way to go! That other 30' of crummy fence, on the other side of the property, is made of cheap green lumber and nails. I'm hoping we can just prop it up.

There is an entire tree, in parts, that will need to be disposed of. Anybody want some free firewood for next year?

Olive trees

Its kinda fun stepping on these. They don't make quite the satisfying crunch as a snail, but they do smell nice. Tracking them into the house is not cool. Especially if you have carpeting. I have hardwood floors. Still, purple olive glop is not so very attractive.

This is the sort of thing that makes one not like olive trees so very much. Granted, had they been pruned on a regular basis, this wouldn't be such an issue. Meanwhile, I can't seem to round up a crew to help me get my tree off the neighbors' house. Everyone with a chainsaw is busy either cleaning up their own mess or were already spoken for. And now, its raining again. I'm trying not to cry.

THE storm. Continued.

The ditches were running high. The transformers were exploding like popcorn. My power was out for about 2.5 hours but some of my neighbors are still without it several hours later so I can't Grinch. I did Grinch..until #1 Son helped me get my computer speaking to the world again tonight. May have fried the router. Olives were pelting the roof, the sidewalk, the road. Rain was falling in proverbial buckets.

The "rivers" ran down my driveway, dammed up by leaves and/or branches. My feet stayed dry thanks to Dear Friend, Angela, who gave me a pair of Wellies last fall. Hope she doesn't read this; she may want them back. ;>)

The crummy fence that the neighbors had built a few years ago laid down, giving me a nice view of their grapefruit crop. The folks living at that house recently moved so there is nobody there to pick them up. I wonder if they'd mind sharing. I don't even know who owns the house. Maybe a bank. Say, does anyone want some chasmanthe? ;>)

a dark and stormy day

But first, a bit of color! Yes! It blooms! Unfortunately my camera didn't pick up the pretty purple color of the bloom. See it? Right about 7 o'clock? A wee cigar shaped purple sheath with the teensiest white flower sticking out the end of it. What fun!

An olive tree that has been leaning since the last big wind storm a few years ago finally gave up its grasp of the earth today. It did miss the faucet that is only a foot away from its main trunk but it laid its head on my little metal shed 30' away. Luckily, olive trees go down slowly so even though they are huge (this is what happens when they aren't kept pruned) they usually don't do much damage. ...

unless there is a vehicle or a fence or a house in the way... I later discovered another big olive tree had slung itself through the beautiful fence my brother built several years ago (missing the posts!) and is currently resting its leafy neck and head on the neighbor's roof. So,

Guess what I"ll be doing tomorrow?! It won't be selling birdseed. Guess again. This tree (above), resting in Lake Cheryl, can just rest awhile. It is not in the way of anything. The tree resting on the house will have to be dealt with tomorrow. Photos coming. It was nearly dark when I discovered it. Our storm was a doozy! Incredible winds (40 to 50 mph) blew from early morning (it was still dark) to around 3:00pm and rain fell and the power went out and I cursed myself for not having a book lamp, nor the right batteries for my transistor, nor decent surge protectors. These things are on the top of my list next time I go shopping. I don't mind losing trees to Mother Nature's whims but I do mind very much when trees are lost to humans with big egos and bulldozers.

Tillandsia

Oh wow! I just noticed this change of color yesterday. This would be the "pup" of my origional plant, and according to the Sunset Western Garden Book, "...As plants prepare to bloom, their central leaves redden. Red flower spike appears in late winter or early spring." Oh! I am SO excited!! This must be T. bulbosa. It didn't have a tag when I bought it.

More of St. Francis & the potato vine

THIS is the photo I meant to include in that last post. This particular potato vine bloomed quite a bit too. Nice lavender flowers that looked like...morning glories....duh. Do the green potato vines bloom too? My green ones didn't get as much sun as this purple (Blackie) one did. After discovering just how easy these are to propagate, I filled the house with them. ;>) ok, maybe there aren't THAT many, but there are several just biding time until they can go back outside. Coleus too. Oh my goodness!~

St. Francis and the potato vine

The little St. Francis garden was such a colorful spot in Phoebe's yard this summer. However, the potato vine, which I do love,

started getting carried away. It shaded the petunias. It shaded the Coleus. It even crowded St. Francis right out of the 1/2 barrel!

And it just kept on growing..oh rats! I had a better photo..I'll look for it and add it out of sync. It just got huge!

And then the weather changed. Jack Frost took the wind right out of the potato vine's sails.

Happy Holidaze!

Someone was supposed to get new Christmas duds for these two but Someone forgot all about that. 'Tis a wonder they've got their festive hats!

The Charlie Brown Norfolk Island Christmas tree.

Phoebe's stocking.