Shampoo Ginger - Zingiber zerumbet

Hawaiians had several uses for `Awapuhi. The sap that is easily squeezed from the inflorescence was used as a body soap and shampoo and with a pleasant fragrance also.

It's has been wet summer so far, hence the rare appearance of the so called cone.

This year we may have 'El Nino' to thank, for a wet winter too.

Compari Tomato topping out of bamboo cage

New cell phone camera...demoed well

Brought to you by neighbor's cat Robert

Summer storm scatters ripe orchid pods

Mini Vanda Orchid pods

Day three and some pods are opening

First Roundabout for the city is officially open

Attended this morning's Roundabout dedication.

As someone pointed out online that there is a roundabout
at Lakeside Village shopping center. Actually, there are two.

A wonderful beginning for the day

The weather outside is Michigan weather, overcast unseasonably
 cool for Florida. Just picked up a book of short stories,
author lived in Michigan. I walk towards the kitchen to
finish preparations on first meal and the smells coming
from the kitchen are intoxicating.

Following meal with three heaping's of MUD and a glass
of Raw Milk.


Found some new music worth purchasing too, Album: Kindred, Band: Passion Pit.
Doesn't get much better than this folks.

Mistletoe Cactus - Disocactus ramulosus update

 Doing quite nicely since last taken (link below) also note that there is an orchid
at the top of the pot sharing this nice little niche of greenery.


April 5th

Repotted Amryilla seedlings once home to the Albino Knight seedling once known as the Sinkers

The once fertile grounds for a lone albino bambini.

Added some soil to the base and sides for these seedlings to flourish. They are
doing gang busters under lights. I think I will keep them indoors for a while longer.




 scroll down for last entry
Link 1
The beginning of the end
 born with dignity and already predicting its fate
no signs
moisture check
beginnings
the beginning

Key Lime ready to give its first fruit of the season.

First discovered fruit on the tree

Object is smaller than it appears.

Smaller than a golf ball even.

Weened Cacao Tree update Redux

Looking really good and with several new leaves and possibly it's largest leaf to date too.

A Future Cacao Pod

As Wild as one can be

  Wild Sockeye Salmon, fresh as can be seeing we are near opposite corners of
America. Served on a bed of Arugula and a drizzle of olive oil and with salt
an pepper. 

  Downed a glass of Wild milk, in other words raw from a local organic farm.

  Staying on the same theme, made up a batch of pudding and added something
new, peanut butter, blueberries and vanilla extract. Among various ingredients
that I've been experimenting with, see previous entries.  Placed in fridge to chill.

When does Pudding stop to being Pudding? When it turns to Mud.

  We have House Music, a unique home styled blend that the artist
feels that is their own. That is how I feel about this ever evolving
pudding style that is in the works.

 I didn't have any Bananas this time because I ate them the other
day while waiting on the Avocado to ripen in sync with the Bananas.
I know, the times, trials and tribulations of a Kitchen Artist.

 So what I did was,as most good cooks do is use what I have.
What I have is a gorgeous ripe Mango , two over ripe Nectarines
and a over ripe red fleshed Plum. Needless to say, a ripe Avocado
that waits on no one.

 Add the remaining ingredients and Mud it is.

       === House Mudd ===

Just remembered that I could have used some Vanilla Extract.
Perhaps next time.

Just back from a walk around the lake and it's eighty degrees and eighty-four percent humidity...I knew that!

That Background Noise that shall be indentified as RoundAbout

To my knowledge, the city's first roundabout and nearing completion in the
construction with just laid asphalt. This is what we see approaching the
main street with the blocked off portion to the right that leads into the newly
constructed roundabout. I am currently on my bicycle and going for a couple
of laps around the lake. Beautiful cloud and sunset showings this evening too.

Looking beyond the barricade looking west. This is when I discover that asphalt
has been laid and that I will have to test it out on my bicycle on the way back.
New sidewalk on the north side of the main street which leads to a cross walk
only and will not continue along the same side of street.

Once around the lake and looking east at the roundabout its self .

You can see in the distance the barricade near the entrance to our street to
my neighborhood.

One of three brick lined cross walks. This is where I embark on taking a trip
around the aroundabout via bicycle. I hope there will be some bike lanes included
in this planned slow down about aroundabout. Note the red sand used to fill in
between the bricks. I wonder if that sands redness is the real deal, red iron oxide
or just some man made crap.

Today, Tuesday I saw stripping for bike lanes laid out in the road way of the
RoundABout. The last of the missing pieces that was a mystery. Cool.

This previous Friday they did the median plantings with flowers. I wonder
who even notices the flowers. I only do when they are changed out with
new ones. The circle opens Tuesday. Watched some moron in the circle
with their car moving the barricades to get out of the circle. An elderly woman
whom I recognized too. Let the Circle games begin.

Callistemon viminalis - Weeping Bottlebrush

Photo soon to follow.

I've had this specimen for quite some time. Although the location is not
bright enough for it to produce flowers. I'm one of those, form over function
types. I prefer that it looks really cool in spite of it's self.

Time to put them Texas boys outdoors

  It has been just over a week since these
Texas Ebony seedlings have been harvested
from their
point of origin. Three so far have survived
two transplants due to a upgrade in preferred
soil mix. All have been bombarded with
artificial full spectrum lighting with varied extended lighting schedules. The leaves still
closeup at around 7pm in spite of the generous
illumination and that means that they can stay
up past their bedtime and don't have to come in when the street lights come on.
 All have some leaf loss, some more than others and one not at all. The one in the skinny white pot is the winner for the least traumatized  from this whole experience.


Again, all show signs of new growth so that is my reasoning for putting them out doors
in a somewhat protected shade. Somewhat because it is overcast and sprinkling rain
with a chance of meatballs mixed with bouts of sunshine and haven't monitored this
exact spot for full sun exposure.

Hey, these guys are Texans, what more can I say. They are tuff and off to a great start
to this Rodeo called life.


Just averted some Malware that installed on my alleged Firefox Browser update...
Web Bar!? Couldn't find them in recent software programs installed. Ended up using
a Malware extract and isolate free download which did the trick for the moment.
Probably will should do a System Restore (days or weeks) back to happier times.

For the past two months now the city is installing a Round A Bout near the intersection
at the end of my street. It is getting closer to completion date and look forward to
the chaos potential that this will have on the locals and non locals. 

Chionanthus retusus - Chinese Fringe tree is in bloom and Dwarf Vanda Orchid

I'm trying to remember if this is its first bloom of the season or not. I really
do believe that it is not.

 Do not be fooled, this is one of many landscaping plants that is a tree
that is being submissively pruned into a small compact plant to fit
someone's idea of a small plant and either paying for a more than
happy Landscaper to do your bidding, whether they realize or even
care that this never ending foolery can never end.
 On the other hand for those who love to pretend they are Edward
Scisorshand and love being slave to their keeping a plant in some
concept of shape or form, by all means have at it.

  Due to its location and limited full
sun exposure it has produced a less
dense structure which is just right for
a dwarf Vanda orchid hanging
within its branches.













Speaking about Vanda, here it is in all its glory. Tendrils that grow from
its base where there is no soil or anything else for it to absorb its
nutrients and moisture in the traditional way.

There are seed pods on this Vanda that I am hoping to give a try at germinating.
My unsuccessful attempt of sprouting some Begonia microscopic seeds gave
me the inspiration to try once more with the orchid seeds. I also happen to have
another orchid that has produced some seed pods also and will do a two for one. 

When Crape Myrtle blossom meets Camelia leaf

Don't you love it when things align. Perhaps I should go play the Lotto this week.

Weened Cacao Tree update

Cacao Tree  has a new leaf, which is a good sign and there are no scorched leaves.

I do remember giving it a diluted application of Fish Emulsion the other day.
I still give it a semi regular spritz of water also. 

Euphorbia tribona f, rubra - African Milk Tree

May not tolerate direct sun but I notice that it is losing some of its reds. Rotated
to keep growth even and will have to keep an eye on its progress.
Purchased in June 2015.

Not more than a couple of hours later that first a wind storm followed by
a brief downpour. That a twenty foot tall Mexican Sunflower was blown
over and missed this cactus a foot to our right of this, did not bat a leaf,
bystander.

Pluto...need I say more

One more thing...Geeking out with a NASA App to follow along with the New Horizons flyby.

I slept in  so missed the simulated
flyby but as you can see by the
screen capture I believe it just
passed and is looking back at
Pluto.

Cocoa pudding made with Avacado - Experiment Kitchen Revisted

Added Chia and Shredded Unsweetened Coconut.

also substituted the Agave sweetener with some Coconut sugar and

added a dash of Cinnamon too. Yummy.

Wasn't till afterwards that I realized that I forgot to add

the instant coffee. So it doesn't look like the above photo

but I'm glad that I mixed it all up again with a dash more sugar

along with the coffee.

The Chia and Coconut added a nice texture. I was never the one

to use a Processor so the lumpiness of the Avocado and Bananna

were cleverly disguised by the added fiber and texture.

Move it to improve it

Both the drunken dream and trailing cactus needed some elbow room
to stretch out. So what better place than a perch.

Peek a Boo of a new view and alternate landscape.


Trimmed up neighbors second Crape Myrtle and also the canopy of the
my oak tree hanging in neighbors and mines front yards.

 Song on repeat for its coolness on this hot afternoon 'Soft' by Washed Out.

Found some Shade Cloth today for my new seedlings. Just as it was still
sitting on Lowes floor along with some other deliveries and
not yet put up for sale. The associate was willing to investigate and
was willing to seek out the Lowes item number and charged accordingly.
Another associate said that it had been a while since Lowes has sold
this item too. Perhaps I should go play the LOTTO.

Tuna Salad with Avacado - Experiment Kitchen Revisited

This time I added some canned corn in addition to a few more green
olives. The yellow mustard makes it and also added a dash of black
pepper.

Dem Egg Laying Lizard Diggin Brown Cuban Anoles

  Just as I was dumping a batch of diluted fish emulsion on this potted Budha
Belly Bamboo.  That I realize that when I saw this lizard, face deep in some top
dressing of soil I tossed on the surface as a result of remixing a soil mix for newly
acquired Texas Ebony seedlings. Not only did this lizard not budge from its mission
until it backed out and I saw an egg. Not only have I seen these eggs before and not
a hundred percent sure of their origin.  So when the lizard went back in head first, I
was thinking that it was going in for a feast. I also was amazed at it's determination
that I decided to break out the video on my cell phone.

 It wasn't until I watched the video did it come to my realization and witness to
the fact that this lizard had just buried this egg that it must of laid into a hole that it
dug in the loose top mix. As is then proceeded to bury it quickly with quick  and 
evolved  means of a quick get away and don't see what I just did escape. She jumped
a bout six inches away to gaze at me and her handy work before bolting off.

 No different from squirrels that hide their stash of acorns that they will never locate
again is the fate of this egg that may and I hope will hatch within five to seven weeks.
I've been seeing a lot of one inch newly hatched lizards of late too. Thinking not that
there were several potted plants that received some top dressings that may now double
as lizard nurseries.

Second round of Texas Ebony propagation; this time Nature gets a crack

  Having woken from a nap this afternoon, recovering from yesterday's Yoga barre
session. I had with a thought and inclination to revisit the sight where I had gathered
some Ebony seed pods to see if I might find some seedlings. My first attempt to
sprout some seeds did not go well. To my surprise and amazement there were
about a dozen seedlings about two inches tall at the base of this tree. Needless
to say did not waste anytime digging some up , using a seed pod as my tool of
convenience . Good thing I keep some water in my trunk with my Yoga gear, as
to minimize the shock to this seedlings that have been torn from their infant
beginnings. You would think I would come more prepared, but something to said
about using what with what you have around you.

Transplanted to a very quick draining soil with nearly fifty percent coarse beach
sand and the coarse nursery mix.

It's no wonder that this plant is prized in the world of Bonsai.

Tell me that this little munchkin isn't channeling it's inner Bonsai.

I see a giant Sequoia like Bonsai in its future.

Looking good in spite of the ugly white recycled container.

Verdict still out on these but you never know. They
just may be late bloomers.

Nice curves there Bonsai.

Not a bad one in the bunch.

 

Will have to keep an eye on these to ease their transition to

a potted culture. Climbing back into my Helicopter.

Update on Compari Tomato plant compost volunteer

  The first of three Compari seedlings has since been cut back severely with the
idea of containing what I believe to be a blight of some sorts. Apparently has
worked because to two remaining seedlings wasted no time in filling the void
and no signs of blight, although there are leaf minors taking advantage of the
lush succulent foliage. Plenty of new tomato blossoms which don't mind the
ninety plus afternoon temperatures that we have at this time of year.

Finally repotted Cacoa tree and moved it out of doors

 We start with selected ingredients, no different from a food recipe.

 We have two commercial brands of soil mix, one local nursery soil mix and
some coarse beach sand.

  I was real impressed with the nursery soil mix, jet black and also a coarse
mix of rotted material. I would like to think that all four contributed to what
I can gather to be a good mix for this tropical and exotic specimen.

For the moment, what appears to be a good dappled shade. Will have to keep an eye
on this so as not scorch it's, 'have not seen real Sun in three weeks' leaves.

Transplanted to about a one gallon pot with very little root crowding in the
original pot. Some lump charcoal on top and keeping a spray bottle of water
close by to give it that Equatorial jungle increased moisture.

A nice drink of rain water to give it that added back to nature vibe. Ok, that
black planter isn't doing it, but otherwise it will get lost in this homespun
jungle. Couldn't help notice the added texture this Cacoa contributes to this
green landscape.

 A wee bit alarmed with the amount of light striking the tender leaves.
Although this photo shows it much brighter than it actually is. I think
I need to land my helicopter.