Ajuga reptans ‘Chocolate Chips’ on 4-11-20.

Hello everyone! I hope this Sx On Saturday post finds you all doing well. I went outside to take photos for this post and came back inside with 34 photos. What can I say? One leads to another and this is not the time of the year for only six photos. Hmmm… My higher self says, “It is never time for only six photos for you.” I could say I tried but that wouldn’t be true. Perhaps I should post only six photos and save the rest for a Sunday post. That wouldn’t work though, because tomorrow is Silent Sunday and being silent is too hard. Enough blabbing…

I did narrow this post down to six after cheating and squeezing until I had a big surprise. Then I had to make a change…

#1) The Ajuga reptans ‘Chocolate Chips’ are starting to flower up a storm now. They are very happy rambling plants and it is their job to go anywhere they choose.

Ajuga reptans ‘Chocolate Chips’ close-up.

You know, I really hadn’t taken a close-up of their flowers until now. Interesting…

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Hosta ‘Empress Wu’ on 4-11-20.

#2) Hosta ‘Empress Wu’ has really grown in the past few days. It has to grow fast to get so HUGE.

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Mammillaria karwinskiana (Silver Arrows) on 4-11-20.

#3) Mammillaria karwinskiana (Silver Arrows) has been flowering AGAIN for several weeks. All the plants are wanting to get outside for the summer. I can hear them muttering behind my back and it is getting annoying…

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Nepeta x faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’ on 4-11-20.

#4) The Catmint, Nepeta x faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’ is looking great and will soon be flowering.

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Lilac #1 on 4-11-20.

#5.1) Syringa sp. ?, cv. ?… The Lilacs are at it and beginning to fill the air with their undeniable scent. There are three so I will cheat a bit an include them all in #5… The white one is usually the first to leaf out, bud, and flower and is the tallest of the three.

Lilac #2 on 4-11-20.

#5.2… This one is normally second in line, but this time it is not… It is dragging a little behind #3. So, why didn’t I call it #3 since it is the last to flower? Because its name is #2 and it didn’t want to go through the process to change it. I think it just doesn’t want to be last since it is is the biggest (in circumference) bush and thinks it should be #1.

Lilac #3 on 4-11-20.

#5.3… This Lilac is the baby of the bunch. When I came back here in 2013 the Lilac’s were overgrown with a lot of dead limbs. After I cleaned them up I noticed this one was a little different. The leaves are smaller and the bush doesn’t grow as tall. There was another one but I killed it by accident… There was Poison Ivy growing in it and I “carefully” applied “you know what” to some of the leaves. Next thing I know not only was the Poison Iv Dead, but also the Lilac… Hmmm…

Now for #6… I had to leave out a few plants to post six, ignoring there being three Lilacs. Then, I went to the back bedroom where the succulents are and was…

SHOCKED AND SURPRISED!!!

So, I had to leave out the tulips…

Sedum adolphii ‘Firestorm’ on 4-11-20.

#6) Sedum adolphii ‘Firestorm’… IT IS BLOOMING!!! I don’t go into the back bedroom that often unless I have good news. I am not saying something good doesn’t happen every day, but for the succulents that doesn’t include what I would call good. For them, a good thing right now would be going outside and it is just not quite time. Maybe next week…

Anyway, this is the second time over the past few months I have been surprised with unexpected flowers in the back bedroom. The first time was the Kalanchoe daigremontiana (Mother of Thousands) and now the Sedum adolphii ‘Firestorm’ has two clusters. It has not flowered before… It has maybe been a week (or so) since I was in the bedroom looking at the succulents making sure certain ones aren’t desperately needing water and I didn’t notice anything unusual then. I have had Sedum adolphii, the other one, longer and it never flowered.I had one before that for several years and it never flowered. I have only had ‘Firestorm’ since 2018 and it flowered!

As I mentioned in the beginning of the post I went outside to take photos for a Six on Saturday and came back with 34 photos. After going through them, I wound up with 16 photos. Then, late this afternoon I walked to the back of the farm and took 138 more. 🙂 I found several new species to ID and I was able to walk back into the swamp… NICE!

Now I am feeling a bit guilty not posting the Tulips as #6…

The Tulips on 4-11-20.

BONUS! These Tulips have been opened up all week but I just now took their photo. They were waiting for a a spot on Six On Saturday but next Saturday they will be gone. It is bad enough they would be last on the list, but to be left clear out would have been very disappointing for them.

Well, that’s all for now. I have to get busy working on the 138 photos I just took for a wildflower post maybe on Sunday. First, I have to eat dinner… It’s 8 PM already!

If you wish to participate in Six on Saturday posts, be sure to read the Six On Saturday-a participants guide from The Propagator.

Until next time, be safe, stay well and positive.

I went to visit Mrs. Wagler at the greenhouse today to get an update on her son and the grandkids. The kids are progressing including the oldest girl. She said the oldest daughter was in an induced coma until she could handle the surgery. Overnight, however, she had a stroke but they went ahead with the surgery. She has a blood clot below the brain stem but new veins are growing around it to bypass the clot. The clot isn’t moving which is also a good thing. She mentioned other problems with her shoulder or arms. The doctors said they believed she would be OK. The father, Jay, had to have blood yesterday and today he had to have blood again. I also want to make a correction. The two oldest kids in the wreck are girls and the youngest is a boy. I had first thought the middle one was the boy. I was told yesterday the two youngest may come home today, but that was not the case. 

I wanted to talk to her instead of hearing about them from other sources. Sometimes when we hear about such traumatic experiences the shock of it tends to overwhelm us and information gets misinterpreted. 

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you well. This afternoon I thought I heard a Martin and within a few minutes, he landed on the wire above the Martin house. I wonder if he is curious why there is not much activity among humans…

Spring is definitely here and the early spring wildflowers are now blooming (Henbit, Deadnettle, and Speedwell).

I apologize for my absence of late but I have been busy working on wildflower pages. I had hoped to get them finished before spring but that didn’t happen. GEEZ! I am alive and well.

I suppose the past few weeks have left many of us stunned because of COVID-19. Being in a small rural community in Missouri, the impact hasn’t sunk in for many residents. So many people think it is a joke or maybe it will fizzle out before it gets to us. Henry County had one girl test positive, I think she was the third one in Missouri at the time. Apparently, she hasn’t recovered because Missouri still hasn’t listed anyone who has recovered. Now, Missouri has 670 cases and 9 deaths (as of March 27 at 10:28 PM). The U.S. is now #1 on the list.

I check the COVID-19 update several times a day on worldmeter.info. It changes often and you can check by country and state. It gives links to the sources for their information.

So, while most of us here are doing our best to follow the rules, others are taking it very lightly. Mostly, those people aren’t paying attention to what is happening in the larger cities. For someone who usually doesn’t read newspapers or the news online, I am paying attention to what is happening with the virus.

Most churches are not having services and all other activities and meetings have basically been put on hold. Schools are not having classes and many businesses have reduced their hours of operation. Most fast-food restaurants have closed their doors and are now just serving at the drive-up window. Even funerals have changed and we are just having small grave-side services.

Of course, there are those with their conspiracy theories which I completely ignore.

Trying to get motivated this spring after a lazy winter has been difficult. The up and down temps, the rain and snow… Now a lot of mud to deal with. I have been doing a friend’s chores after he had neck surgery and there is just a lot of mud… More rain is on the way. I think about writing posts, and have taken photos, but the words just won’t come… Writer’s block? I don’t know but that seems impossible for me. I think my brain is in shock.

I am not complaining in the least and I have a lot to be thankful for.

But, this past week, there was also a tragedy. One of the greenhouses I have mentioned numerous times, Wagler’s, had a family crisis. They are Amish if you remember. Anyway, one of Ruth Wagler’s sons and three of his children were involved in an accident on the highway not far from their home. A truck came over the hill driven by a 17-year-old driving to fast. The pickup struck the buggy seriously injuring Jay and his three children that were with him. The father was taken to the Regional Medical Center in Kansas City. The 8-year-old was flown to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas Cty by Air Evac. The 9 and 13-year-old were flown to the same hospital by Lifelight Eagle. From talking to several of the Amish I learned the father had previous issues of his legs and the other was broken in the accdent. I think there are blood clots he was dealing with. The nine-year-old is a boy and one report says both his legs were broken and a broken pelvis. The youngest I think is a girl and I am not sure what her injuroes are. The oldest I think has some spine issues and needs surgery but hasn’t regained consciousness. This afternoon, I was told the two youngest kids may be discharged on Saturday.

Read More: Truck Strikes Horse-drawn Buggy in Henry County | https://ksisradio.com/truck-strikes-horse-drawn-buggy-in-henry-county/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral.

I am thinking about going to Wagler’s Greenhouse and get an update.

You just never know what can happen. All we can do is hang in there and do the best we can. It’s like everything seems fine then something weird comes up leaving you wondering what will happen next.

COVID-19 is something that will affect everyone in one way or another and its effects will be long-lasting. Even if the virus magically disappears…

So, just hang in there. Stay positive and think of all we do have to be thankful for. What are you doing now and how are you doing? Are you OK?

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you well. My daughter and her family came up for a visit this afternoon (Saturday). I finally got to see my new granddaughter, Allison, in person. This first photo is priceless. It is like she is saying, “Who is that old fart?”

As I suspected would happen, Melissa wanted me to hold the baby… It doesn’t look like she was any too happy to meet grandpa.

Melissa thought I should smile, so I did my best. Allison is thinking I am faking it…

I am thinking I should have cut my hair so we would both be bald. To early to tell if she has Miller ears… Melissa does but she is covering them up. Her brother, Nathan, is balder than I am, but he also has Miller ears. He is in Indiana now.

There was another photo, but by then Allison had enough and was beginning to get somewhat squirmy. She got this weird look on her face and I wasn’t sure if she was going to poop or cry.

I intended to take photos of Paul and his two daughters, Starr and Lakendra, but I forgot.

Jade, the cat that occupies the house, hid and was nowhere to be found. BUT the little black tom kitten (with no name) eagerly accepted Lakendra’s friendship and came in the house to play. I thought that was odd since he isn’t hardly ever around anyone but me but he took up with the little girl… He even let her pick him up and carry him around. I was to busy watching and didn’t take photos… GEEZ!

Little Bit was down at the barn but came up later when I filled the food pans. She was not interested in strangers at all. Then I took the piece of bamboo with yarn tied to it to try and get her to come in. While she did want the toy, she didn’t want to come into a house with strangers. She said, “the last stranger you took me to a few days ago ended up with me getting spayed.”

After they left, Jade was still MIA. I looked everywhere for her and could not find her. I couldn’t imagine where such a large cat could be hiding since all the bedroom doors were closed. Finally, I looked under my bed and there she was. She must have been in my bedroom before they came and then hid so I wouldn’t bring her out to meet the family. She still didn’t come out until I was eating dinner then she had to look the place over to make sure the coast was clear.

Well, that’s it for this post. I couldn’t very well use it for a Silent Sunday and I already did the Six On Saturday. I wonder what I will come up with for Silent Sunday?

Until next time, continue to stay positive, being safe, and always finding things to be thankful for.

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you all well. I just wanted to let you know my daughter has her first baby.

Meet Allison Marie. She was born at 12:30 PM (Jan. 28). She weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces and was 19 inches long. I had to get out the tape measure for that one… I think she looks like grandpa already.

I think I have four step grandkids (1 boy and 3 girls) but this is my first from my gene pool.

That’s all I have to say for now. I have to get back to work updating pages and writing new ones for the wildflowers I identified over the summer. I still have about 120 new pages to write. I had to check out Steyermark’s Flora of Missouri again (all three volumes).

OH, one more thing. I had an enormous spike in stats today. 490 views! Usually about 60-110, more or less, from about as many visitors. Today, only 42 visitors but 490 views. What is really strange is that 438 views were from the Philippines… No comments or like’s so I have no clue who the culprit is/was. I am sure tomorrow will be back to normal but it would be interesting to have stats that good every day.

I’m finished now.

Until next time, be safe, stay positive, and always be thankful.

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you all well. It is a nice day with the sun shining and the temperature is 43° F. I decided a walk to the back of the farm was in order.

The first photo was taken where one of the ponds drain into the creek about 40 or so feet away. The water was slowly moving.

This is the pond… The melted area is where the water is draining into the first photo… Maybe I should have taken this one first, huh. I just added the photos in the order I took them.

There are two ponds, one right next to the other, in the back of the farm. I always thought it was strange how grandpa dus a new pond next to the old one instead of just making the old one bigger. I imagine the old pond, the one in the photo, is spring-fed. Neither pond is very big so maybe even the newer part was never finished. That happens when water starts coming in before you are finished as with the smaller pond in the front pasture. The dozer man left for lunch and the pond was full of water when he returned.

After I left the area behind the pond(s) I looked toward the southeast pasture. You can see the Farrington Park lake with all the leaves off the trees. I could hear a Barred Owl along the trail toward the west and squirrels barking by the swamp ahead.

This is the only time of the year when you can see the swamp. I suppose it isn’t really a swamp, but that’s what I call it. This area completely grows up mainly with Broad-Leaved Panic Grass (Dichanthelium latifolium) and Jewel Weed (Impatiens capensis) during the summer months. Other weeds grow between this area and where the electric fence is which is where I identified several new species of wildflowers in 2019. It is almost impossible to get to this area late in the summer. You will come out covered with several species of stick-tights and beggarticks.

I was kind of amazed there were very few birds out and about. I only saw a few sparrows, Cardinals, and Blue Jays. I could hear a Nuthatch but I could never spot it.

From the top of the hill looking toward the house, the sky was a beautiful blue with a few clouds.

The forecast for the week looks pretty good…

That’s all I have to say for now. Until next time, be safe, stay positive, and always be thankful.

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you well. Last night I looked ut the door at 1 AM and it was snowing and had already accumulated a little. It snowed all night so when I got up there was plenty. I drove to Kevin’s house to get his truck so I could go feed his cows 12 miles or so out of town. As usual, I couldn’t make it up the hill to his house so I backed down the hill and parked. Then I had to walk up the hill to get the truck. His truck is a 4 wheel drive flatbed so it has no problems.

The highways were cleared off so getting to where I was going was no problem. I fed the cows then came back home safe and sound.

I don’t complain that much about the snow here after spending a winter in Minnesota. All is well.

I read posts on other blogs about harvesting tomatoes and onions in Australia and New Zealand because they are on the opposite side of the planet. For me, I am longing for a tropical climate like the Philippines. 🙂

Until next time, be safe, stay positive, and always be thankful.

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you all well! Well, the temperature dropped to 9 or 10° F but was 16° by the time I got up (which is supposed to be the high for the day). It wasn’t snowing when I got up but it soon started… The birds weren’t very active over the weekend and the feeder remained about 3/4 full. This morning, however, they had been busy and pretty much emptied the feeder so I had to refill it.

I decided I would take some random photos when I went outside…

I went to the chicken house to remove the ice from their waterers and give them fresh water. The Old English Game Bantams (three hens and a rooster) are always happy to see me.

The bigger chickens were also glad to see me but some are camera shy. Most of them come to me but when I pull out the camera they run. Pictured above is the While Chantecler rooster and one of the three hens. The White Chantecler hens are very sweet and well mannered.

The Delawares are friendly unless they are on the nest. If one of them is in the nest I pass her by because they are very protective… I took a photo of one of the black sex-links but for some reason, it wasn’t there when I uploaded the photos. They are very good chickens and great layers and friendly on the nest. Right now they are on vacation from laying…

Equisetum hyemale (Horsetail)

The Equisetum hyemale (Horsetail) always lays down on the job during the winter. They will mostly stand back up when temps warm up in the spring…

Achillea millefolium (Yarrow)

The old Achillea millefolium flowers are great snow catchers. They are pretty much dormant over the winter but when temps stay mild they regrow new leaves. Since we had a fairly mild January, some new leaves have already appeared.

Cylindropuntia imbricata Tree Cholla)

The Cylindropuntia imbricata (Tree Cholla) is very hardy here but not particularly fond of the cold. It turns a maroonish color and kind of shrivels up…

Monarda didyma ‘Cherry Pops’

The Monarda didyma ‘Cherry Pops’ has been really weird this winter. The leaves have stayed green!

Allium ampeloprasum (Elephant Garlic)

The Elephant Garlic stays green and grows all winter.

Phlomis ‘Edward Bowles’

Yep! Under the pot is Phlomis ‘Edward Bowles’. It doesn’t particularly like to be covered but I like it better this way even though it thinks I am a bit nuts and overprotective.

Allium sp. ?

There are many clumps of some kind of Allium species. I have not been able to identify the species but it is some kind of wild onion… I usually mow around this clump during the summer because they have very interesting flowers…

No comment!

I think this cat is a bit… Ummm… Maybe I shouldn’t call him retarded but that is certainly the word that comes into my mind. He usually sleeps in the wooden box, kind of like a doghouse, on the porch but he has been particularly weird lately. Last week when it was raining he was right out in it and was soaking wet. Now, this morning, he was right out in the snow.

Maybe he is mourning… Thursday morning his brother wasn’t feeling well and growled at me while I was feeding the cats. He has never been friendly and has only recently allowed me to get close to him as long as I didn’t try to touch him. Thursday evening he was lying under a table on a potting soil bag and he growled at me again and was kind of slobbering. Friday morning he didn’t come to eat and I found him dead next to the basement steps…

Kalanchoe x laetivirens (Mother of Thousands)

Now for the miracle… I have had this particular Kalanchoe x laetivirens since June 2015 and have regrown it many times. That sounds weird… Anyway, it can get quite tall, so you have to cut the stem below the leaves and regrow it on occasion. If not, the leaves grow smaller and it is much better looking with HUGE leaves. Over the years it has produced countless thousands of plantlets that can’t resist taking root in the pots of its neighbors. I am in and out of the back bedroom every day but this morning I went to see if I could get a photo of the shelf with all the plants. Well, the light was no good but then I noticed something different with this plant… IT IS FLOWERING FOR THE FIRST TIME!

SO, even though this plant is not so exciting and dealing with the plantlets make it even less so on occasion, it really surprised me with flowers. You never know when a new experience will come along. I have several different Kalanchoe species and this is the first one that has flowered. Well, that’s not counting the plants I bought when I lived in California in 2008 that were already flowering. Since 2009, this is the first… I am excited!

It is now about 2 PM and it has stopped snowing for now. It is, of course, still 16° F and tomorrow it is supposed to be 36.

The National Weather Service says it is 14° F but what’s a couple of degrees? It is cold. The forecast from Tuesday evening through Friday doesn’t look that great but we will survive. Spring is right around the corner. 🙂

That’s all I have to say for now. Until next time, be safe and stay positive. There is always plenty to be thankful for.

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you all doing well. Today was the trip to the urologists to have the stint removed that was put in place when I had the laser surgery on January 2. I am not going to go into the details. Well, maybe kind of…

I want to say I have changed my diet somewhat over the past month. I have cooked most of my own food, eating mainly fish and steamed vegetables for dinner. Instead of chips, I have switched to grapes, apples, pineapple, and blueberries (since I have so many in the freezer). I have cut down ice cream to almost none and very little cheese. Even eating before bed was stopped until this past week (I had a bowl or grapes and pineapple a few evenings before bed). I noticed a big difference in the way I slept during the night and with heartburn. No heartburn or indigestion for weeks now.

One of the nurses was in training and as they were preparing to get me ready, I said I bet she is thinking “the things I have seen today.” I was thinking about other things. I have only been in two relationships before and here are two women at once looking at… You know what I mean. The nurse explained what to do with “it” to the other nurse then inserted a syringe or something into my “you know what” to put the stuff in to help numb the urethra. Then she put a clamp on it so the stuff wouldn’t run out. She explained what she was doing and what everything was properly called, but who could remember.

The nurse told me I could watch what the doctor was doing on a screen next to the bed. I first told the nurses I didn’t think I wanted to watch. Once the doctor came in and I saw the size of the “tools”, I knew I didn’t want to watch that either. I opted for the screen…

The doctor ran a probe, or whatever you call it, up through the urethra, the bladder, prostate, ureter, and then inside the kidney. A light and camera were on the probe so I could clearly see what was going on. I was amazed at how fast the doctor was moving through everything. But, I was thankful it was going as fast and smoothly as it was. Then another gizmo was ran inside the tube to grab the stint and pull it out. The nurses in training was the one the doctor selected to open the “grabber.” When the doctor asked her to do it, she said, “You want me to do it?”

While I was watching the screen, she opened it up. I was thinking I hope they don’t grab the wrong thing. They looked around for the stint then finally found it. I thought, “HOLY S–T!” IT LOOKED SO BIG! They grabbed it and pulled out. As far as what it felt like… Let’s just say it was very uncomfortable. Toe-curling uncomfortable…

I asked the doctor if I could have the stint and he said, “sure.” As you can see, it is 12″ long! The loops on the end are to keep one end in the bladder and one end in the kidney.

Then came the doctor’s list titled “Kidney Stone Prevention Diet”.

Avoid milk and milk products at all times other than allowed. Only have 1/2 pint daily.

Avoid cheeses, creams soups (made with milk), ice cream and eggs. Avoid products containing amounts of egg yolks.

Avoid dried legumes of all kinds: lentils, beans, peas, and soybeans.

Avoid dried fruit, figs, prunes, peaches, apricots and raisins.

Avoid the following vegetables: cabbage, dandelions, kale, mustard greens, turnips, turnip greens, watercress, and collards.

Rarely eat: almonds, hazelnuts, molasses, maple syrup, clams, canned salmon, bran cereal, bran bread, custard-filled pies, pastries with whipped cream, dried fish and dried meats or oysters.

Reduce tea, dark colas and salt.

To maintain healthy kidney function, an adequate urine output is important, therefore, it is necessary to drink at least 6to 8 glasses water daily. Add a slice of lemon or lemon juice when possible.

It is important to maintain good vitamin intake, especially vitamin “A” and ”C” but eliminate vitamin ”D” from the diet entirely by not eating cod liver oil and codfish.

On the way out, the doctor said that should take care of me for 10-20 years. I am thinking I have 10-20 years to eat differently. LOL!

Seriously, the diet plan won’t be that hard. I drink very little milk unless I use it in cooking. Not eating eggs won’t be hard because I don’t normally eat eggs unless it is in a recipe. I only use dried beans when I make vegetable soup. Avoiding dried fruit is no problem because I eat fresh fruit.

I do like cabbage, kale, and turnips and I suppose this list should include other brassicas such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, etc. All contain calcium oxalite but they are not all on the list. I think “moderation” is called for but I can survive without.

I am not particularly fond of almonds and hazelnuts but I often buy cans of mixed nuts and save them for last. You can buy cans without peanuts but not without almonds. I always wondered why they put in so many almonds in the first place. Pecans, pistachios, and cashews are my favorite.

Avoiding cheese and ice cream would be very tough as I love both. I think maybe to cut down would be better than doing without.

I drink one glass of iced green tea at dinner are rarely drink colas. I wonder why coffee isn’t on the list? I drink 1/2-2 cups in the morning.

Now that the stint is gone I can happily drink 6-8 glasses of water a day. It was very uncomfortable emptying my bladder with the stint inside… I knew I needed to drink more water, but the pain involved when urinating made me not want to.

So, now life is back to normal. The ordeal was quite an experience and I hope not to relive it again. I am very thankful for all the staff and doctors at the Golden Valley Memorial Hospital for their care and expertise. I am thankful for medical technology. I am also thankful for everyone’s prayers and the Angels and guides that watched over the entire ordeal. We are never alone.

Until next time, take care, be safe and give thanks always!

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you all well. It is easy for me to say I hope you are all staying warm because it is cold here. Currently, at 2:35 PM it is 21° outside. Ummm… That is -6.1° C I think.

The rain was in the forecast as was a winter storm but the rain was a day late. I got up early on Thursday and Friday morning to feed the cows because of the possibility of rain. As I headed back to town on Friday morning the rain started. It rained most of the day yesterday, which is an understatement. Many times it literally POURED. It rained most of then night then froze. All was calm when I got up and fed the cats and it wasn’t snowing. I looked outside at 11 AM and it had started…

The above photo was taken at 12:12 PM so I thought I would take a few more shots while I was at it…

The birds have been weird this winter because we have had fairly mild weather. The migratory birds were slow to arrive compared to last winter and especially the winter before. The first week in January 2018 saw temperatures of-10° F!

The Red-Bellied Woodpecker is trying his hand at the feeder. Maybe I should say “his beak”. It could be the same one that used to look in m bedroom window. In November I photographed a Downey Woodpecker taking seeds from the feeder and hiding them in the fork of this tree.

The photo above is the Red-Bellied Woodpecker looking at me through the back bedroom window on December 26, 2017. I moved to the back bedroom after mom passed away and I could really watch the birds. I have moved to the front bedroom since then (after dad passed) so I now feed the birds at one of the Maple trees in the front yard. They have gotten used to the traffic from the street.

The Cardinals and sparrows enjoy the feeder the most and occasionally I see a Dark-Eyed Junco feeding from it. A few days ago I spotted a Purple Finch at the feeder. Good thing I bought a six-holer.

There are at least three species of Sparrows that come during the winter.

At about 2 PM I looked outside and saw the young tomcat hiding behind a feeder that blew over during the night. I think the feeder may have had some help falling over from deer. A few nights ago I was awakened by a loud racket on the front porch which followed by Jade being in a panic state in the living room. I looked out the window but saw nothing but I think a deer may have walked up the steps and onto the porch…

It was funny to watch the cat as he thought he was unnoticed. I think the birds were well aware of his presence but they had no fear of a young kitten. It seemed he would get ready to jump but the bird he had his eye on would move. He stayed there for about 20 minutes and his back became snow-covered. Once in a while, a bird would get pretty close on the other side of the feeder but he didn’t notice.

Later, a female Cardinal was at the feeder…

The above shot was taken at 2 PM from the back door…

What is really strange is that the House Sparrows have not bothered the Martin house this winter. Last winter they took it over fairly early.

The cactus at the siding door are glad they are inside. They are not complaining one bit.

Every window I look out I see snow. I was hoping to view a tropical paradise from the south window.

Jade wants no part of it… She refuses to look out of the window. I took her to the bedroom window where last month she enjoyed laying on the windowsill. She still refused and jumped on the foot of the bed and turned her back to the window.

I noticed the snow had lightened up to fine flakes a little after 2 PM.

At 3:25 PM were several Cardinals in the tree and birds started flying in from all directions.

Hmmm… I just noticed the time on my photos is an hour ahead! No wonder I thought something was whacky when I looked at the time. I think I noticed that before but the settings in the camera are correct. I will check again.

The Red-Bellied Woodpecker didn’t like the company and spent more time trying to defend the feeder than getting seed. He soon tired of that and flew off.

The birds started flying in from all directions for a moment then flew off almost as soon as they landed. Every time I look out the window the scene changes. In one second the feeder is loaded and I want a shot then the next second they fly off. LOL!

SO, at 3:45 I will end this post. GEEZ! An hour has passed already! The forecast says it will get down to 17° tonight and currently it is 19. What’s a few more degrees. 🙂  Tomorrow will be in the 40’s and up to 54 on Monday and in the 50’s on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Be sure to keep Australia in your thoughts and prayers!!!

Until next time, stay well, be safe, stay positive and give thanks.

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you well. I went for surgery Thursday morning and everything went smoothly. All the staff was friendly, professional, and knew what they were doing. They worked efficiently together as a team.

When I was taken to the operating room, the anesthesiologist but the cup over my face and told me to take a few deep breaths. Then he put pain medication in the IV and said my head would feel funny which happened within seconds. Seconds later, I hear a voice saying “Lonnie, Lonnie wake up. Surgery is over. You are in recovery.” It took only 25 minutes for the surgery…

My sister came from Raytown to stay with me in case I needed help. I am grateful for that because neither one of us knew what I might need afterward.

The urologist put a stint in from my bladder, through the left ureter to the kidney in case of the possibility of the ureter collapsing. The nurse told me if I happen to see a “string” coming out to call them. She said it would be the stint trying to come out. She said the doctor may want me to just pull it out. Otherwise, he will remove it on the 16th in his office.

Each time I urinated, the pain was horrific at first as clots and small pieces of stones passed. The pain always subsided and I would be fine until the next time. The urine was always a reddish-orange from the dye they used during surgery. Several times the urine flow wild stop as a good-sized clot passed through the urethra. Then around 8 PM, a HUGE clot passed which was a very weird feeling. After that, no more clots passed and the pain wasn’t so bad during urination.

I got up to use the restroom a few times during the night, but I did sleep well. This morning I feel normal and all is well.

I just thought I would let you know how the surgery went and that I am still alive and kicking.

Until next time, be safe, stay positive, and be thankful!

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you well. The snow is finally almost gone and today was a lovely day. Couldn’t have been much better

Tuesday was not so good and ended with a trip to the ER. I had this weird pain in my lower left groin area off and on for several months. Tuesday I woke up with kind of a nauseous feeling on top of the pain. I tried this and that and nothing relieved the symptoms. I had two kidney stones back in the 1990’s but this didn’t seem like that. They pretty much hit me att at once. So, around 7:45 PM I decided I better go to the ER. It was an 18-mile trip and I drove myself. Luckily the ER wasn’t busy and I got right in. By the time I was finished talking with the doctor it seemed more like a kidney stone and we were in agreement… Even though it seemed like a long time, they hooked up a bag of fluid and gave me a dose of morphine. They no sooner got me hooked up when the guy came and took me for a scan. GEEZ! Then they finally took me back to the room and hooked me back up again. Even though that process took only maybe 15 minutes, it just as well have been hours.

When the results of the scan came back it was confirmed I had a 6 mm stone in my ureter. Ummm… That’s between the kidney and bladder.

My urine flow was perfectly fine STILL with no pain. But there was still pain in my left groin area and stomach plus nausea. SO, they gave me another dose of morphine and a pill for nausea. At about 12:30 there was hardly any pain but they wanted to give me another dose of pain reliever before they discharged me. The problem was they wouldn’t allow me to drive. I told them I could drive to a friend’s house and he could either let me spend the night or drive me home.

Well, they were very persistent that I not drive… So, I gave the nurse my friend’s number, who is also the minister at church. He came and took me home. It is seriously a good thing because about halfway home I could not keep my eyes open. By the time I was inside I could barely walk. I fumbled around a bit because I thought I had other things to do before I got in bed… I had never been in a situation where I could barely function and it was very weird…

The next morning I got up feeling like a new man. I had no pain and I was wide awake and full of energy. I was supposed to call the urologist and get three prescriptions filled. At that point, I was thinking I would be perfectly fine… Well, by about 10:15 I was getting nauseous again and somewhat uncomfortable. SO, I decided maybe I should go ahead and call the urologist. I have an appointment for Monday at 3:45.

Then I went to the pharmacy and got the prescriptions filled, came back home and took the drugs. One is hydrocodone for pain. One is a tiny pill for nausea. One is Tamsulosin (Flomax)… I am supposed to take the pain and nausea pills only of I need one but the Flomax I am supposed to take once per day. I haven’t taken a pain pill since noon on Wednesday. I took a Flomax and nausea pill at noon whch seems to be my regular schedule.

It is a little strange for me to go to the doctor and certainly not like me to take prescription drugs. If I had have known I had a kidney stone earlier I could have gotten rid of it myself. But, the symptoms I have been having for a while were not like before. So, I didn’t know.

When I had the kidney stones before I guess they were already in the urethra which was why it was a sudden thing. This one may be close to the bladder on the left side which is why there is pain there.

They always say a man having a kidney stone is like a woman going into labor. All I know is that I don’t want another ordeal with a kidney stone. If I were a woman and had a baby, the first would have been the last. LOL!

I have read this and that about what foods and beverages to avoid when it comes to kidney stones. Very seldom do I drink soft drinks anymore. I usually drink 1/2-1 cup of coffee in the morning and have a glass of green tea for dinner. I drink plenty of water the rest of the time. I pretty much eat a healthy diet, just in a weird way. I don’t eat until dinner and I eat a big meal. At almost 59, I think my diet needs to change somewhat and I have been saying that for a while…

I went to the chiropractor on Friday and he is pretty good when it comes to nutrition. He is an older man with a lot of experience and even used to train chiropractors. He asked me about my diet and I told him I ate one meal a day. He looked at me a bit strangely. But, you know, there is a diet plan called OMAD (one meal a day) that I found out about after I had been doing it. The benefits are good but you need to eat healthy all the same. It is kind of like fasting…

He asked if I cooked my own meals and I said yes. He said, “Ahhh, that’s why you only eat one meal a day.” Well, ummm… That may be partly true to some degree. I have never been a big fan of breakfast and it is easy to skip lunch when you get up at 9-10 AM. Just a little coffee and I am good to go. Then 6 PM comes around I am ready for dinner. The problem is not dinner, it is afterward. I snack from then until I go to bed. While do do snack on fruit, there is also the chips, popcorn, nuts, and of course ice cream… Don’t forget the cheese. I don’t think any one meal a day plan or fasting includes junk food eating for several hours before going to bed.

I feel a little hypocritical at times because I advocate health foods, natural supplements, no GMO’s, etc. while I occasionally revert back to my old habits… I really do prefer cooking my own meals, and I enjoy cooking. But sometimes, I do order Chinese, pizza, something from Subway, Sonic, and so on. There is a new cafe in town that makes a great Ruben. 🙂 When you are by yourself, it is very convenient to throw a frozen pizza into the oven or microwave Stauffer’s Lasagna, or even a potpie…

While eating bad foods may not affect you initially, like when you are young, it will catch up with you sooner or later.

So, while my spiritual life is getting better I also need to eat better… I need to commit to me, not just spiritually and emotionally, but also physically. Our cells can heal our bodies, but we need to feed them properly. We can listen to and repeat all kinds of positive affirmations, learn and practice the Law of Attraction, listen to music at certain levels of frequency for this and that… But, we STILL have to commit eating a healthy diet… We can reprogram our subconscious mind and accomplish amazing things but we are still in part what we eat not just what or how we think.

Part of being the amazing creatures we are and having so many abilities is also the ability to choose. To choose a diet for and of life.

Until next time, be safe, stay positive, and always be thankful.

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you well. We had more snow yesterday which didn’t impress me that much. It was 21° F when I took these photos at about 11:30 AM but it is supposed to warm up to 32 by the afternoon.

That’s the forecast through Sunday…

The Junco’s and several sparrows were enjoying the birdseed on the ground.

While a female Cardinal and a sparrow were at the feeder. I put the feeder in the tree in the front yard to I can watch them from my bedroom window. They are always very alert and seem to spend more time flying off than eating. They are more content feeding in the back yard but I haven’t set up the trough feeder yet.

That’s all I have to say at the moment. The snow kind of leaves me at a loss for words…

Take care, be safe and stay positive!

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you all well. This morning I had the alarm set for 9 AM so I could eventually get up and get to church by 10:40. I am not an early riser and it usually seems I have to have a good reason to get up by 10. On occasion, I have to get up much earlier which I don’t mind. I can easily get up at 6 or 7 AM if I need to.

So, this morning the alarm goes off at 9 and I let it beep for a few minutes before turning it off. Well, I went back to sleep and didn’t wake up until a little after 10.

I sprang into action after naming three things to be thankful for. Normally I mainly say thank you for good night sleep and for the day ahead. I then went in to get a cup of coffee and to feed the cats on the back porch. Even though the forecast said there was a chance of snow, I was surprised to see what was waiting outside. There wasn’t much, but it was still there.

I looked out the side door and saw the vehicle’s windows covered with snow. At that point, I may have easily closed the door and decided not to go to church. Except there was a problem… The minister’s grandson from Nebraska was here to be baptized. SO, I decided maybe I should go.

I had cleaned out the baptismal tank on Friday and a few of us guys met at the church on Saturday to start filling it. For a long time, one of the men from church had been doing it but he decided to show me how to do it a couple of years ago. This year he decided a few others needed to learn the tricks as well. It’s a process of turning a few valves on or off depending where they lead to. Then, once the water gets so high, it is recirculated from baptismal through the hot water heater. It’s not complicated and there are written instructions. You can see the pipes hanging from the ceiling in a hallway by the hot water heater and explain where every pipe goes and comes from. Like the wiring in the church, it makes one wonder how it ever works. But, it does work…

Oh, yeah. Lynn turned down the temperature on the water heater because the last time it became too hot in the baptismal. LOL! Luckily he was at church early enough that time to turn it down so the temp was a bit cooler for the baptism. That would have been a shock to step into hot water. Stepping into freezing cold water would also have been a shock.

SO, I went to church and made it on time. Our minister is a retired mortician and I will never forget his first baptism. A week or so after the baptism he presented the certificate of baptism to the girl that was baptized. He said, “I am pleased to present you with your certificate of death.” He was so embarrassed and everyone got a good laugh.

We have fond memories that we carry with us that we like to share with others along the way. Sometimes we have to share not so fond memories to let others know that they are not alone in a particular situation. Then sometimes we find out sharing the situation wasn’t a good idea because they tell others or our experience instead of theirs. We are human and we all do through a lot of different circumstances as we grow up. It is part of our learning process. But it isn’t just our learning process. The divine realm(s) also learn from our experiences…

I deleted MANY paragraphs… I started rambling about my opinion about religion. GEEZ! And to think I am now an elder.

Anyway, Saturday afternoon as I was cleaning the church, one of the minister’s son’s brought a pan of food and put it in the refrigerator. As I left, I saw the minister heading toward the church in his van with some of his family. Later I went back to the church to check the water in the baptismal and there was A LOT of food in the refrigerator. Then after the service, he told me that they were having lunch and invited me to stay. He said there were BBQ ribs. We also had a board meeting…

Well, who can resist BBQ ribs? There was also a pan of coleslaw and potatoes of some kind that was all delicious. Some of the ribs were from Bandanas! One of the furnaces wasn’t working so the fellowship hall was very cold. Then, they had ice cream and homemade cookies. By the time I left, I was stuffed and freezing!

When I left, it was snowing AGAIN. It looked like little styrofoam balls flying around in the air. When I arrived home I noticed a lot of birds looking for food under the feeders. The Juncos and migrating sparrows had finally arrived this past week. I went inside to warm up a bit then went outside to fill the feeders and sprinkle a little on the ground. I checked on the chickens and filled their feeders and made sure they had plenty of water. Even if it is very cold, the water in the chicken house doesn’t freeze unless it gets down to 20° F for several hours. Eventually, I took a little nap.

In all, it was a good day despite the snow and cold temperatures. It is going to be cold all week…

I forgot to post Six on Saturday yesterday because I was busy. Today I thought about taking a snow photo for Silent Sunday but then it became too dark to take a photo. So, I decided to just write a post without photos.

I had been doing good about reading your posts every day in the Reader then got busy updating pages on the blog. So, I became somewhat tardy in reading your posts.

Then one day I received a message on the Goeppertia ornata page. A man from Florida asked me how to pronounce Goeppertia. Normally, I include the pronunciation of the genus and species if it is available on Dave’s Garden. In this case, Geoppertia ornata had no pronunciation. The reason is that Geoppertia ornata became a synonym of Calathea ornata in 1858. At some point, maybe then, the entire Geoppertia genus became invalid. Well, truthfully the same guy published the description in 1858 and 1860 and iPNI has both. PREVIOUSLY, the 1860 date was accepted now the 1858 description is accepted. Hmmm… The reason I know is because my first notes say 1860 with the publication but my page says 1858 with the publication title. I thought I screwed up so I wasted 30 minutes or so to figure that out. Anyway, the latest version of The Plant List (2013) says Calathea ornata was the accepted name but when the NEW Plants of the World Online came out in 2018, the name had changed back to Geoppertia ornata. Apparently in 2012, after 154 years of not being a genus, a lady decided it needed to be resurrected. So, 254 species were moved back into the Goeppertia genus making it the largest in the family. I found that out from Phytotaxa via ResearchGate. So, the guy and I exchanged a few emails. (I first confused him by guessing the pronunciation for Geoppertia instead of Goeppertia). Then I find out this guy’s family owns a large wholesale nursery in Florida and one of their specialties is Calathea species and cultivars (A LOT). So, apparently, he is trying to figure out how to pronounce Goeppertia… Well, I certainly applaud him for that. It would be bad to change the names of plants and not being able to pronunce them. My only guess is that it is pronounced go-PER-tia but that really doesn’t sound right either… There are two P’s”. Maybe gop-PER-tia… I have studdied Latin in reference to plant names but it still is somewhat confusing. So, if you have any ideas, I would love to hear it. I hate to tell someone “I don’t know”. I wound up sending an email to Rafael Goverts from Kew to quiz him about the pronunciation. Then I noticed he didn’t approve the name change. Well, I am sure he will get a good laugh and I will be thankful for brightening up his day. It has been a while since I sent him an email asking how the Celosia argentea ‘Cramer’s Amazon’ was doing. I sent him seeds at his request and his reply then was that they were starting to flower. Of course, I am trying to get his approval to use Celosia argentea var. spicata name instead of merely Celosia argentea on Plants of the World Online. Doubt that will happen though. 🙂 Well, Celosia argentea is supposed to be, in part, native to Africa and ‘Cramer’s Amazon’ were discovered in Peru… Now I have to recheck where Celosia argentea were/are native. Celosia spicata became a synonym of Deeringia spicata which is a shrub in Australia. I don’t get the connection or even how an herbaceous plant was confused with a shrub in the first place.

I seemed to have gotten off subject while writing the above paragraph but decided not to delete it. I already deleted a half hour on pharagraphs earlier. What was the subject anyway? Oh yeah, my apology for not reading your posts this past week. Well, there was an attempt a couple of nights.

So, I guess I better stop writing this post and get to work. Either reading your posts or working on updates. Otherwise, by the time I am finished, it will be Monday already.

So, have a great week ahead! Be safe, well, and stay positive! Keep warm or cool depending on where you may be!

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you well. I know the flowers of the Schlumbergera tuncata are really neat, but I have mixed feelings about it.

Schlumbergera truncata on 9-13-18, #507-15.

I brought this plant home from Wagler’s Greenhouse in September last year and the tag clearly says “peach”. She had a lot that she buys from somewhere. Last winter it had a few buds, but because of neglect, they fell off. Hmmm… It was with other plants that don’t require attention during the winter. So, this year I put the plant in the kitchen windowsill where I would be sure to see it every day and water as needed.

Then it grew buds… Then it flowered, as you can tell, but the flowers are PINK not PEACH. So, since I had a little time this afternoon, I went to Wagler’s to see if Ruth had any that were actually peach, or white, or any color besides pink. I also had a few cuttings of Stapelia gigantea to give to her. We trade a lot of plants. 🙂

She wasn’t in the greenhouse so I knocked on her door. She came and I told her I had a present for her and her face lit up as I handed her the cuttings. She said she had some new plants to show me so we went to the greenhouse. OK, I haven’t been there for several months because I know what always happens…

I think when I was there last fall a lady brought her several Bromeliads from a grower in Florida. Well, some of them produced offsets and even flowered. She handed me one and said I could have it if I wanted. Hmmm… Of course, my hands just automatically responded. I looked at several of the others and the one that always caught my eye was solid green. Fortunately, it hadn’t flowered or produced any offsets. Then she handed me another pot of a different Bromeliad and said I could have it, too. Oddly, I declined. I told her I needed to see how the one she gave me already would do before I brought home more. I was quite proud of myself.

Then she showed me a new succulent she had and asked if I had these two particular cactus. Fortunately, the two cactus in question were the Acanthocereus tetragonus and Mammillaria vetula subsp. gracilis. I told her I had those already and they came from her.

The succulent was a different story… She asked what it was and I told her it appeared to be a species of Euphorbia. She asked her if I had one and I told her no. She said, “You can have one.” AGAIN, my hand just reached out and took one like it was an automatic reflex! It is 2 3/8″ tall without the leaves.

Then she said if I saw any other plants I wanted I could have them. GEEZ! There are a few but I have to wait until she has cuttings or plants of them…

She has A LOT succulents that are unnamed that would be a nightmare for me. They are Sedum, Echeveria, etc. hybrids like x Graptovera, x Graptosedum, and so on. Unnamed and many leaf colors, shapes and cultivars that look so much alike. They need bright light in the winter which I don’t have much of at the moment. I have one window that faces south and it is full with three shelves of plants. She still has offspring of plants I gave to her but she doesn’t write their names on the labels. LOL! When she asks me the name of plants and I tell her she says she doesn’t see how I remember all the names. Well, first you have to write their names down on the labels so when you look at the plant you see the label. It’s a way to help subconsciously remember. I have pretty well memorized what I have grown but when I bring home several different cactus it sometimes takes a while to memorize. I have a list handy and the photo folders to help me remember. I have to keep rewriting the labels because the permanent marker is not so permanent. Some genera of cactus and succulents, like any other plants, have certain characteristics that only they have.

Oh yeah! I did ask Mrs. Wagler if she had any more of the Holiday Cactus. I told her the one I brought home that was supposed to be peach turned out pink. She laughed and said that happens if the tags get mixed up. Hmmm… Unfortunately, a man came several times and bought most of the Holiday Cactus so she didn’t have any more available. GEEZ!!! She said she would see if she could get more. Then she said the ones labeled orange look more peach. OK, I might take a few different colors as long as they aren’t pink…

So, now I have a bromeliad and Euphorbia to find the name for. At least I think it is a Euphorbia… 🙂

****UPDATE****

This plant is an Austrocylindropuntia subulata commonly known as Eve’s Needle. I had one before that was a monstrose form… 

Schlumbergera truncata on 12-9-12, #135-2.

The above photo is the Schlumbergera truncata that a friend gave me when I lived at the mansion in Mississippi. One of HUNDREDS of plants I gave up when I moved back to Missouri in February 2013.

That’s all for now, but I do need to post photos of the Mammillaria karwinskiana. It has more flowers and they have all been open for a few days. Still growing more buds, too.

Until next time, be safe and stay positive. Be thankful, open-minded, and allow the Universe to shower you with abundance. Get dirty if you can, something I have no trouble doing.

Parodia magnifica on 11-13-19, #649-17.

Hello everyone! I hope tis post finds you well. There were a few cactus and succulents that needed repotting because they needed larger pots. Then, there were a couple that I needed to investigate. I think repotting in the fall is a good time so the potting mix stays nice and loose over the winter. Since I use mainly Miracle Grow Potting soil with a lot of peat, sometimes it can become kind of hard during the winter when I am not watering my cactus and succulents. If this happens, I remove the plant from the pot, remove the old mix and add fresh. Since I switched from using 2 parts potting soil with 1 perlite and 1 part chicken grit to using about 50% potting soil and 50% pumice it seems the mix has remained looser. I know many cactus and succulent enthusiasts say peat is a no no, but it has worked fine for me.

In the above photo, the Parodia magnifica has a nice set of roots. It gets to be the first example

Parodia magnifica on 11-13-19, #649-18.

Some cactus don’t grow a large root system but they still need repotting as the “stem” starts to fill the pot. There was still plenty of soil in the bottom of the pot with this Parodia magnifica but the stem had become almost as large as the pot.

Parodia magnifica on 11-13-19, #649-19.

In years past I would just take the plant from one pot and put it in another without doing anything with the roots. Then later, when I repotted again, sometimes I found the roots still tightly packed in its original wad. So, I started loosening the roots before repotting and sometimes trimming off a few on the bottom. They grow new roots and a little trimming doesn’t bother them. Sometimes you may find rotten or dried roots that need to be trimmed as well.

Parodia magnifica on 11-13-19, #649-20.

Then I always make sure the plants are centered in the new pot.

Parodia magnifica in its new pot on 11-13-19, #649-21.

Here the Parodia magnifica is happy in its new pot… Normally, I only increase the pot size by 1 inch but sometimes I can’t find the right size of pot. I have LOTS of smaller pots so there is always a good selection. You can find pots in quantity on Ebay and Amazon. Of course, you may want a nicer pot…

Mammillaria plumosa on 11-13-19, #649-16.

The Mammillaria plumosa (Feather Cactus) asked for a new pot because she had no more room to grow…

Mammillaria decipiens in its new pot on 11-13-19, #649-13.

I know this pot seems a little large for the Mammillaria decipiens, but I am expecting another growth spurt. After repotting, I read this species of Mammillaria should not be planted in a peaty mix because it grows naturally in canyons and hills generally in volcanic soils… Llifle says “It likes very porous mineral substratum and avoid the use of peat or other humus sources in the potting mixture.” Hmmm… I read that when I was updating its page last week. Llifle also says, “Outside filtered sunlight or afternoon shade, inside it needs bright light, and some direct sun. Subject to sunburn if exposed to direct sun for too long. Does better than most species in lower levels of light, but still prefers bright light or morning sun.” Well, it was growing on the back porch in full sun and did awesomely well. I am wondering, though, if I should have added more pumice to its mix… Maybe some chicken grit as well.

Echinopsis mirabilis in its new pot on 11-13-19, #649-8.

I finally decided to increase the pot size for the Echinipsos mirabilis since it was still in the tiny pot it came in. According to information, this species may be short-lived but only time will tell. It is also said, that although short-lived, it leaves behind many seeds that will come up. Well, I kind of screwed that possibility when I repotted, huh?

Agave (syn. x Mangave) ‘Pineapple Express’ in its new pot on 11-13-19, #649-2.

I figured since the Agave (x Mangave) ‘Pineapple Express’ was an Agave it might have a lot of roots by now. I was right… It also has several pups. NICE!

x Alworthia ‘Black Gem’ in its new pot on 11-13-19, #649-3.

The x Alworthia ‘Black Gem’ grew a lot since I last repotted it, so I thought I would upgrade it again. But, I forgot something which I didn’t think about until after I repotted the Haworthioposis limifolia… It came from Wildwood Greenhouse and he buys a lot of plants in plugs. I forgot to check to see if there were remains of the netting from a plug.

Aristaloe aristata in its new pot on 11-13-19, #649-4.

The Aristaloe aristata (Lace Aloe) was giving me the “look” so I wouldn’t forget about her. I told her I repotted her before but she said it was time again. Sooo… Now she has a larger pot.

Echinopsis ‘Rainbow Bursts’ on 11-13-19, #649-7.

What can I say? I may have gone a little overboard with this one but she said she needed to wean her kids. She said she was tired of them clinging to her. I said OK if she promised to give me a flower. I think she is crossing her fingers and toes.

Cereus forbesii f. monstrose ‘Ming Thing’ on 11-13-19, #649-5.

Hmmm… I hate to tell you, but I severely neglected the Cereus forbesii f. monstrose ‘Ming Thing’. I knew from the previous and much larger plants I had for several years that they don’t have a very large root system and they grow VERY SSSSLLLLOOOOWWWWLLLLYYYY. So I didn’t repot since I brought it home in a tiny pot from Wal-Mart in, ummm… GEEZ! It has been since 2016! It is STILL the same width as when I bought it home at 3 1/2″ wide. It has grown 1/2″ taller to 3 1/2″.

Cereus forbesii f. monstrose ‘Ming Thing’ in its new pot on 11-13-19, #649-6.

Its soil was very hard and dry so I replaced it then put the cactus back in the same pot. Maybe it will grow now. 🙂

Gasteria sp./Hybrid ? on 11-13-19, #649-9.

I decided the Gasteria twins with no name should be in another larger pot. This is its second upgrade. I noticed something weird when I removed it from its pot that I have never seen before.

Gasteria sp./Hybrid ? on 11-13-19, #649-10.

A few weeks ago I saw a post on Succulent Dreamers where a member had posted about the beneficial bacteria (of some sort) growing on the roots of his plant. I thought that was pretty neat and had not seen it before in pots. Actually, it is mycelium which is a “friendly” fungus. Come to think of it, this is the first year I haven’t had ants in at least one pot. I think that is because the pots were on the porches.

Gasteria sp./Hybrid ? on 11-13-19, #649-11.

Now we’ll see how much larger they get in their new pot…

Gasteria sp./Hybrid ? on 11-13-19, #649-12.

With their new child. 🙂

Plants repotted on 11-13-19, #649-1.

This is a group photo of the plants I repotted on November 13. But, I wasn’t quite finished…

Mammillaria vetula subsp. gracilis ‘Arizona Snowcap’ on 11-16-19, #651-2.

On the 16th I decided it was high time I worked on the Mammillaria vetula subsp. gracilis ‘Arizona Snowcap’.

Mammillaria vetula subsp. gracilis ‘Arizona Snowcap’ on 11-16-19, #651-3.

I posted before how several of the plants in the colony had died… The ones that were nearly all white.

Mammillaria vetula subsp. gracilis ‘Arizona Snowcap’ on 11-16-19, #651-4.

After removing the clump from the pot I had to remove the dead…

Mammillaria vetula subsp. gracilis ‘Arizona Snowcap’ repotted on 11-16-19, #651-5.

Then I kind of centered the live plants around the larger cluster.

Dead Mammillaria vetula subsp. gracilis ‘Arizona Snowcap’ on 11-16-19, #651-6.

This is part of the dead plants. I had discarded a few earlier in the summer.

Haworthiopsis limifolia on 11-17-19, #652-1.

Then I checked the Haworthiopsis limifolia (Fairy Washboard, ETC.) to check to see if it had been in a plug like the Haworthia ‘Little Warty’. Sure enough there it was… While a few roots did poke through, you can see how many roots were tightly packed inside the plug wrapping. Most of this plants roots had grown out the bottom and up the side.

Haworthiopsis limifolia on 11-17-19, #652-2.

I gently peeled away the netting and from around the roots that grown through it. That’s when I remembered the x Alworthia ‘Black Gem’ could also have this same issue since all three plants came from Wildwood… I have to quiz Mr. Yoder abut removing the netting from the plug when they repot.

Haworthiopsis limifolia repotted on 11-17-19, #652-3.

Now, it is happy…

Hmmm… The island in the kitchen made a great potting table but now I have to clean up the mess… You may be wondering what the drill is for? If I use pots from Dollar General, like with the x Alworthia ‘Black Gem’, I have to drill holes in the bottom.

I think that’s it for repotting for a while until I check the x Alworthia ‘Black Gem’ for the plug. I hope all is well with you. Until next time, take care, be safe, and stay warm or cool depending on where you live.

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you all well! I woke up this morning and “you know what” was going on outside! Second time so far this “winter”. When I was a kid we would get “S” before January 1, but then for many years it rarely ever did that and sometimes not until March. I prefer it to do this while I am in bed and be gone by the time I get up. I am not a fan of cold temperatures and would do very well in a tropical or subtropical climate. Growing a garden 12 months a year and not having to bring plants inside for the winter would be great. I know there would be other weather challenges but it wouldn’t involve snow and ice. Just thinking about all the Aroids I can grow gives me goosebumps. Well, maybe the goosebumps are from just coming in from outside.

The above photo was taken at 1:19 in the afternoon and it was snowing every time I looked outside until 3:20. It had stopped.

The only time this thermometer is close to correct is during the winter. It was 21° F when this photo was taken and at 3:30 in the afternoon the internet says it is STILL the same temperature. Every time I look at the weather forecast it gets worse. Now the National Weather Service says it “may” get down to 9° F during the night. I checked other websites to check if there is a more agreeable forecast and they all say about the same thing…

I did cover the Phlomis ‘Edward Bowles” before I went to bed last night…

A few of the cats like the box on the back porch, but the rest don’t seem to like crowded conditions and usually go to the barn. There are probably three cats in this box and it is weird the darker yellow and white fuzzy cat is here. Normally he stays in the barn when it is cold. He has been tamer the last few months for some reason but I still can’t pet him. His brother, the one you can’t see, is just the opposite. If you touch him he won’t leave you alone. The one mom and dad called The Barn Cat and Susie are no doubt in the barn. The two kittens are snuggled under a table on a bag of potting soil. I would let them in but they find too many things to play with. The younger one doesn’t use the litter box either. Simba wants in but I think that would be unfair to let him in when the others are outside. Of course, Jade is sleeping on my bed. Hmmm…

The plants in my bedroom seem to be adapting to being inside so far. The Alocasia gageana would prefer the front porch but she is not objecting since she can see the “S”. There are five pots of Alocasia gageana but only one has made it to the basement (where they overwinter). The other three are on the dining room table. When I brought the plants inside for the winter I was excited to see the Stapelia gigantea had buds. Unfortunately, it appears they all fell off! They appear to be growing new buds but I’m not 100% sure what it is doing but the flowers will be HUGE. I purchased the cuttings in October 2018 and they grew like crazy all summer. It is the pot on the left side by the window. I noticed a few mealybugs on it a few days ago which I quickly removed. I haven’t had bugs on my plants for MANY years…

The Tradescantia ‘Pale Puma’ looks amazing! Most of the other Tradescantia are in the other front bedroom with the Begonias and Oxalis. I am not sure if the ‘Pale Puma’ will continue to look good or if it will stretch. Time will tell.

I didn’t get a good photo of the plants in the kitchen windowsill because of the light from outside. The Schlumbergera truncata (Holiday Cactus, False Christmas Cactus, etc.) has a few buds again. It tried last year but the buds fell off because I didn’t give it enough water. This year it is in the kitchen windowsill so I can keep an eye on it. I tried getting a photo of its buds but it would cooperate. The only good photo didn’t seem appropriate… OH, what the heck…

ANYWAY………….. The flowers will be a peach color. Common names include False Christmas Cactus, Thanksgiving Cactus, Crab Cactus, Zygocactus, Lobster Cactus, Claw Cactus, Holiday Cactus, Linkleaf, Yoke Cactus, Crab’s Claw Cactus, Easter Cactus… After that photo, I can think of a few others.

Interestingly, it is a true cactus species and is in the Cactaceae family to prove it. A native of Brazil and Rio de Janeiro (Serra do Mar and Serra dos Orgãos).

I didn’t notice buds on the Mammillaria karwinskiana (Silver Arrows) when I brought the plants inside for the winter because of all the wool. A few days ago I noticed buds peeking through and now they are beginning to open. This is pretty exciting because these are its first flowers.

The Mammillaria hahniana (Old Lady Cactus) is loaded with buds and a few flowers. This is nothing new for her as she started flowering in October 2017. Ummm… She also flowered this past July.

I need to do some further research about the Zantedeschia species because this one is weird… The other Calla I have is possibly Zantedeschia elliottiana (Golden Calla Lily) (which I have been incorrectly calling Z. aethiopica) because it has spotted leaves and Yellow flowers. It comes up in the spring and is already dormant. It’s label just says “Calla”. This one was given to me by the owner of Wildwood Greenhouse. I mentioned it in several previous posts but I will recap again in case you didn’t see it.  One of several times I was at Wildwood, there were several pots of really terrible looking plants on the floor next to the counter. The owner, I forget his first name, said he had bought seeds of these Calla Lilies and planted them “outside” (the year before if I am not mistaken) and they came up. He put them in pots and they just kind of always looked terrible. Kind of limp and lifeless. He gave me a pot on Jue 13 to see if I would have any luck with it. I didn’t do anything with it for a week or so and it continued looking weird. Just kind of limp and non-energetic although it continued to live. So, I decided to take it out of the pot, shake off all the old soil and put it fresh Miracle Grow Potting Soil. It still did nothing. I moved it to the front porch and then one day in August when I was watering I saw its leaves were standing up! It was like it was a completely different plant. When I brought the plants inside on October 11, it was just amazing so I put it in my bedroom in front of the window. Apparently, it didn’t like it and the older leaves began to die. SO, I took it to the kitchen and trimmed off the dead leaves… Now, what in the heck is going on with this plant? Why didn’t it go dormant like the other Calla? This particular species is likely Zantedeschia aethiopica, but again, I am not 100% sure. The owner of Wildwood didn’t know either. I do know I will need to dig it up at some point and make sure the bulbs, if it has any, are sticking out of the soil. Anyway, when you plant dormant Calla bulbs, you need to make sure they are sticking out of the soil… Well, some websites say to plant six inches deep BUT don’t do that! The other one didn’t flower until I left the bulbs, or rhizomes, or whatever you call them sticking out of the soil about halfway. Hmmm… But these plants aren’t dormant… Am I supposed to force them to go dormant? I don’t know yet. For now, I will just let them grow and see what happens…

What else? Oh yeah, I almost forgot…

The Callisia repens (Bolivian Jew) is doing great although there are a lot of dead leaves. It was like that when I brought it inside. At some point, I have to work it over, give it a hair cut, remove the dead leaves, or something. This plant is incorrectly labeled Callisia nutans with a photo of Callisia repens. So, if you happen to have one of these labeled Callisia nutans, you know that is the wrong name. The Bolivian Jew is Callisia repens… 🙂

The succulents and a few more cactus in the back bedroom are doing great but I couldn’t get a good photo.

That’s it for this post. I should have finished it earlier because it will be the 12th and the day after the first “S” before you know it. HOPEFULLY, the cactus and succulent update #3 will be ready soon! It is almost finished… It was almost finished three days ago.

Currently, at 10:35 PM, it is 18° F and falling…

Until next time, be safe and stay positive.