First Meal And Its The Weather Folks That Takes The Cake

A balmy seventy six degrees and I have my electric stainless skillet plugged
in to the great outdoors just beyond my back porch steps. There's smoke in
the air and it's not coming from what I'm grilling.

What could be better than having fresh sockeye salmon on the grill during
in season. You would think in December, although not fresh but double
wrapped and thawed and sizzlin and cracklin as it shrinks on the hot skillet.
Toss on some sea salt and black pepper and then nestle it on some greens.

Yet when that first bite should knock your taste buds into high gear heaven.
It's a let down, all that build up from past experiences and just looking at it
makes my taste buds drool.

The last two years have been disappointing and yet I still have hope. Perhaps
our supermarkets no longer get top choice in spite of what we are being charged.
Florida couldn't be farther from Alaska, assuming that is where it is from. So
fresh can only be so fresh.

A recent article on Wild Salmon and like Grouper, there could be some fish
swapping going on. Not to mention farm raised Salmon, along with this new
fast growing variety that has been engineered.

I have four to five more Salmon steaks in the deep freeze. It looks like I will
have to lower my sights and enjoy them with my imagination. As long as I
have this  beautiful weather to enjoy it makes up for a disappointing catch.

Cut Leaf Philodendron Sprouts

I trimmed three of these quite severely a month back and as you can see below
how they are sprouting new growth.

Philodendron bipinnatifidum - Split Leaf Philodendron

I was careful to leave some of the aerial roots intact, this being the second
time in nearly thirty years to do any kind of trimming.

The aerial roots help anchor it and will run through this wood fencing.
Another reason to keep in in bounds and manageable.

These plants are some of the remaining original plantings that I did not plant
when I bought this house.

I have the mind to cut this one in two, knowing that each one has it's own set
of aerials. That way I can offset the placement of these two for interest.

First White Powderpuff Bloom Of The Season

This might be a tad bit early this year. I'm used to seeing this in bloom
at the end of December. I've been attributing most of my bonus blooms
to record rains this season.

Another reason to keep this blog in regards to my garden to see the varying
degrees of changes.

Calliandra haematocephalla 'Alba'

Most people think of this
flower as being pink or
red.

This white version is just
in time for the Christmas
season.

 

 

Replenished Compost Bin Last Week, Still Picking Tomatoes

This compost bin that I have and utilized last year was quite the success. I've been
rounding up oak leaves and some grass clippings in my driveway all year. My running
over these leaves with the car helps breaks them down. By the time I transfer them to
my compost bin they have that distinct loamy smell and look. I will just need to cut it
with some green clippings to balance the mix.

Last year I took the time to add some egg shells to the mix. Knowing that tomatoes
can really benefit from the added calcium. Except that the eggshells didn't break
down at all,  they looked the same as the day they were added.

I enjoyed going to the bin for some compost to add to whatever was being planted
in the ground or potted. Then to have a tomato seedling sprout up as a reminder
that it takes quite a bit of heat to rid of any seeds, in this case, Compari tomatoes
to be exact. Another reason not to put anything in you compost that you don't want
to grow. That goes both for seeds and spores, as in rust or fungus.

I'm still getting some cherry tomatoes from these volunteers plants. I hope to trim
this vine up some before it finishes up with it's last crop before our first frost.

Not even a week has gone by and the (crazy) ants have found this beautiful
composting material to their liking. They have eggs, whether they are imported
from another nest or they didn't waste anytime laying their own. 

Second Sighting of A Young Eastern Gray Squirrel With WhiteTuffted Ears

However, a photo at this point is still elusive. This young squirrel has a 
routine. No surprises there, after all it is a squirrel.

Look Hard And Look Close...This Goes For You Two Creatures Of Our Urban Wildlife

Center and towards the bottom of this is the neighbors cat doing what cats do. There
were two near victims, a squirrel, that had a close escape because it did not see just
how close this killer was to it's near prey. Along with an adult cardinal that kept a
good distance from this predator, assuming that it was willing to take a risk for
whatever it was foraging.

The best I could do after witnessing these two events, that transpired within minutes
of each other was grab a spray bottle of water and squirt the aggressor.

Below is an overlay in black due to the fact that this cat was well suited in blending
in and my limited capabilities in highlighting this cat using my Photoshop Express skills.

Spotted A Young Eastern Gray Squirrel With WhiteTuffted Ears

No picture, but I was looking out my kitchen window at two young squirrels dashing
around on my the Camphor tree and fence. I noticed one of them had very bright white
tuffs of fur behind it's ears. I had to do a double take to see what I was seeing.

Not a big of fan of squirrels, but it goes to show you that they have something
of interest.

I have three huge Bald Cypress trees that I planted in my backyard that the squirrels
use as a sky highway to traverse from one side of the yard to other. The squirrels also
find the cones good to eat and perhaps a nice change from the the typical acorns.

As I am writing this, I can hear the squirrels sounding their distinct alarm. No doubt
for one of several neighbors cats making their presence known.

My naturalized yard also only attracts the urban wildlife, in every sense of the word. 

Sciurus carolinensis