Showing off a bit :D

There will be rather a few posts, but this is a great teaser, lol. So, since we got the camera it has been hectic here (we hosted Thanksgiving). But, I did manage to get a few pics of some things around here. That is the view out to our balcony. The must have, hunted for one because I can't give up my bonsai!



This is a Southern Magnolia. Seems pretty happy here in Seattle! This was sent to me by YardGranny in SC. I potted it up a while back and it has loved the weather here, frankly it surprises me as it has gotten rather cold here.


Here is the White Snapdragon. I don't grow flowers normally but this one has it's place here. Shannon fell in love with it so I will do all I can to keep it alive. It has grown on me since it flowers when it gets cold. How random is that! I guess I will have to do some research on this bugger so I know it's habits and whatnot :D


YardGranny also sent me two Mimosa's, they were happy but just to make sure, since they are babies, I have done what I normally do for my coffee tree at work (the one I am bonsai'ing) and placed their very own mini greenhouses over them. These will stay on until the last possible frost. There are a lot of mimosa here, not this color...but they seem happy to live here. I figure once they get older, perhaps next winter, they will not require this (and I will get a Bay tree to do this for instead, hehe).


I had these at the house and took them with me (note...MINE!). There is a Purple Sage, a standard Silver Sage, some Garlic Chives (thanks again Poe!) grew from seed from Ohio and a Mother of Thyme. It is so nice having fresh Thyme at any time. Yes...I had to do that ;)


And one last shot for now, the Japanese Elm with a few leaves left, my favorite Japanese Maple (about 7 years old) and some Provencal Lavendar. Shannon is a freak for Lavendar so I think this will get a bigger pot come spring so it can go wild!

GOT the camera!

WOO HOO! And is it ever nice. Sent it off with Shan today so she could play with it (this is the one day a week that she and a single co-worker, one she should probably be separated from, are alone for the day so I knew they would have fun as they do get a lot done but play all day!). There will be many pics on the way. Lot of updating to do. Dang, but I got my work cut out for me as this is not the only place that gets pics, haha. Look towards a lot of new posts, in a rather steady way :D

Thanksgiving.

I have a lot to be thankful for yet have never truly gotten into the Turkey thing. We are going to have a few friends over and instead of the 'traditional' turkey day thing, I am going to do my Cornish Hens. This way we each get our own bird and yet it is a gathering of happy, thankful people. I am most thankful for Shannon, having her in my life completes it. Having known each other for so long and now being here for each other is what makes my day, each and every day.

I might also make my Mozzarella Sticks and Jalapeno Poppers.

Looks like I get out of being the bartender as I normally am, that is being taken care of. We got some nice wine and one of the couples coming is bringing *danger!!* Jello Shots! That makes me thankful for something else...I have Friday off, lol.

On another note, hopefully our new camera shows up today (it is scheduled for delivery!). Soon, we will get back into writing (all over!) since we will be able to simply take great pictures again!

Planting Ground Covering.

Nov 17, 2008 | 1:23 PM PST

It never ceases to amaze me the simple things (the ones you think are simple) are not necessarily so. What I mean is, things I know how to do, or about, that are not so 'simple'. Take ground covers, I think it makes sense to plant something like Crown Vetch on a sunny hill that won't get a lot of water. It flowers, it takes care of itself. I say something like that and I get that look from people, that look that makes me want to run to a mirror and see if a second head popped out of my shoulder.

So I wrote it up as well :D Ground Cover Guide

Yes, those things we think are so obvious are things other people seem to be oblivious to, haha.

Kitchen Herb Garden, anyone?

That was hard, only because I tried to 'simplify' it. You, all you smart people out there, don't even think about it. Share that knowledge, spread it far and wide. You might be surprised what you know about that other people do not. One of the things I have written that gets major views?

Boil an Egg

Take that and run with it! Yes, boiling an egg. So, yes, if that does not prove a point, I don't know what does!

Share what you know, while you still have it in your head is my theory.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Nov 17, 2008 | 1:10 PM PST

Yes, it is that time again. How I love those first few and last few tomatoes. Fried.

Fried Green Tomatoes

That is MY way of fixin them :D

Either way, that has been something I have NOT had in some time as I no longer have space for tomato plants. I gave that space up to a smoker grill, lol. That is headed to storage here in about a week when our firepit gets here! FIREPIT! WOO!

I thought about asking around the farmers market, then got distracted, then I thought, hey...I COULD make room. And got distracted. Maybe I really did not want any? haha. Not so much. I did zucchini instead. I make them the same way as I do in that recipe and they were SO yummy. Guess maybe I should write that out. And Okra. I do my Jalapenos different, though. I can get okra, no problem, from the store around the corner (Heck, I can get White Truffel there!). Maybe what it is...is I just love FRIED stuff :D

My weird cat

Oct 31, 2008 | 3:18 PM PST

So, he acts like a dog. As I understand, typical of the Maine Coon breed. So I decided to treat him like one. At this point, he will sit on command. Next month (I am going to take it slow, just like the puppy he wants to be) will be 'Shake'. lol. Max, the weird cat...

7 days...8 hours

Oct 29, 2008 | 7:49 PM PST

And STILL no camera. It is frustrating but the flu has been outrageous. My seller was in the hospital, they are in CT. Here we are in Seattle and as I watch the flu ravage the city...I have to admit, it has to be bad there too. I am just now getting over it and Shannon is too, my poor honey. Even Max had a cold or flu or something. He has fought it off, the tough fuzzy *bleep*. Tippy? Oh, you have not met her yet, she is a rescue dumpster kitty from downtown Houston, Bayou Kitty. She is tough, not a problem.

I promised myself I would get in here and post more often, camera or no. So...here I am!

OK, so the terrarium needs a new light, I know I put pics up once but don't want to drag them out as there are different things in it now. I will get a light and when I have the camera SHOW you :D The peppers are doing great and my little coffee (Nigerian) is very deep glossy green, I think it is enjoying the fact the light is out (well, it is working but Shannon was right, the plants are scared when it is on...it's like a haunted house...all the ghosts of plants gone by..running around...it's all spooky and flickery). The Dragon Fruit trees are happy as can be too. I know rather a few of you out there got some of this particular seed, did you plant them? How are they? What kind of light/soil/pot are you using? We should share our knowledge because I for one, have complete confidence no idea what I am doing with them! They live, they grow, that is good, eh?

We got a new aquarium, the old acrylic one was on it's last legs, well...at least as a filled to the brim with 60 gallons fish tank. It has gone to new pastures with a new lease on life and has already become a turtle tank. The woman who came by (it was cute, she had this HUGE truck she borrowed and normally drives a PT Cruiser) was so excited, she had contacted me (I used Craiglist, for inner city dwellers, Craigslist is THE thing, got my place there, my job *all of them both in the last 6 years or so*) second and the first guy flaked so I called her. She lives south of here like a half hour or so and immediately said "I can be there in about an hour and have GPS". Cool. They went to the pet store first it seems because when I was helping her with the tank and light she mentioned they went and adopted turtles already, lol. It will be perfect for that, I am so happy it gets to be used again.

So, anyways, back to the tank. I have a thing for LIVE plants in my tanks, water or no, haha. The big tank, the 60 gallon is great. It had this hodge podge disco dayglo ick for gravel. We ditched it. 120 pounds of that crap...dumpster bound right away. I got river rock and DAMN it looks good. I was hesitant and it seems Shannon was too but she was NOT going to say anything. Then it got wet and wow...I have to get pics, all I can say. I had her arrange the 'furniture' in it (we have this great castle that is going to go in it, just have to afford it) and that worked great. Don't you love convincing someone to do something they think they don't want to do and then finding out they really liked to do it? Yep :D That reminds me...must blog about the pumpkins but NEED PICS! (they came out really cool, traditional cool, yo).

So, got all the fish moved, everybody is happy. Then I got to the plants. I had a couple plants I refused to move, all they did was constantly SHED crud in the water, leaves all over the place *note, water onion cool looking, puts out neat flowers like lilies...going all the way to the top...do NOT want* and they did NOT move with everything. But..I have what appears to be an Amazon Sword but I have more correctly ID'd it as a Peruvian. The leaves are slimmer and not so big. So I will get an Amazon, lol. There is another neat looking bugger that I don't know the name. It builds it's offspring on the tips of it's deep green leaves..little leaves with roots and all cute...I can tug them off and plant them all over. So I have.

So, I finally get to the point of this story. I have some lava rock, red lava rock, in there for...um...ambiance! Yeah...that's the ticket. So I guess that is what the brick is, eh? Ambiance? Well, you do find them on the bottoms of river beds! And Sea Monster and Count Francis love the brick!!!

Oh..yes...
no ADD here..no way. The story! That is what I was getting to!

The lava rock and the neato babies on the ends of it's leaves plant. So it has been multiplying. To the point I am thinking I could hedge it together, maybe it could act as well as Sedge (grassy bottom level water plant) and protect the babies that I know are getting laid in there and just being Caviar!) or sell them. So I put them all over. The fish do like to tell me where to put them since they will leave them some places and constantly uproot them in certain spots. Fine, I listen. I looked at that lava rock tonight and a couple plants rolling through the bubbles (we have about a foot and a half air stone that I hooked a two hosed air pump to one hose with canula tubing) that flood the back, it was neat but I had to replant them. No, not there, the fish don't want it there. No, not there. Already plants there!. The rock! yes! They will root in it if they stay on more than a couple days. I found some good spots that had cracks or a depression and weighted them with a piece or that river rock.

Just. Need. Pictures.

No patience...

Oct 22, 2008 | 10:53 AM PST

Lordy I hate waiting. No camera yet, lol.

I want to get a pic of my Herb Pot. I have two sages, one silver, one purple. A Mother of Thyme and some Garlic Chives (Thanks, Poe!) that were all potted separately. So I tossed them in a big pot and wow, the space. Amazing how much space a couple pots take up! I have two Purple Thai Peppers (thanks to the seed exchange!) I had started in that pot and I repotted them to take inside as it is starting to chill a bit around here. Here is my method of herb pots. It will be great because this means we will have something green out there all winter. I am going to put a firepit out there, yes, it's a balcony. In an apartment building. My building manager was going through an abandoned storage unit and found a small smoker grill and gave it to me. With the lighter fluid. WITH the charcoal. So...we can have FIRE! Been using the heck out of the smoker, first time in years I had my OWN Carolina BBQ. The real stuff. Alder plank smoked fish...oh yum.

I have two new plants out on the balcony, two 'liberated' plants. My excuse? They SAID they wanted to come home with me and we were wandering by...and had been 'out'...and well, they came home with me. A Hardy Fern, I don't do ferns. What is wrong with me? I kidnapped adopted a fern?!? I put it in the hanging basket, and as Shannon said the fern is all 'I'm a FERN! I'm up HIGH! It's COLD and WET and I LOVE IT! WOO! I'M A FERN!' So...guess it has grown on me, it is a family member now. I am sure TIppy would love to meet it but I think the fern is safer outside (she is good about *most* plants, it is the ferny types she just can't help herself about, lol). There is another plant and Shannon has fallen in love with it. It has no use that I know of, it is just pretty. It seems to be getting happier the more it cools down (as if it ever really warmed UP this year, lol). I will take a pic of it...when I get the camera...and it is flowering (several blooms are begining to open) as I am not really a flower growing type either (too selfish with the space) so I know it is simple, but I don't know what it is!

Oh, and as a side note, I have had a few messages and comments about bonsai. If you really REALLY want to get into it, read here: BONSAI! I give a few great tips about them :D

Still no Camera, let's talk BONSAI!

Oct 20, 2008 | 11:16 AM PST

Yeah, no camera yet. Stupid mail, lol.

This is the best time of year to devote some time to your bonsai. Thye do need to be repotted now and them, depending on the tree either one or two years. The pots are small so they tend to get rootbound a bit faster and use most of the nutrients faster. Some people insist on keeping them just as they are but I do NOT recommend that at all! Make the tree's happy. I am never the same about it, I tend to repot half in Fall and the other half in Spring. Whatever strikes me at the time.

I have pictures here that include basic maintenance as well, right here --> BONSAI

Always keep in mind, you feel better with a great haircut. So do they, but that should include the roots as well, consider it giving your tree a great haircut and pedicure. That would make YOU feel great, wouldn't it :D

Who wants Pumpkin Pie?

Oct 16, 2008 | 3:51 PM PST

Never have understood why I go to this much trouble. I LOVE to make pumpkin Pie from scratch. I have to make them, it is a mission every year. Then I eat one piece. And Shannon does not 'do' pumpkin (she is a Key Lime Gal) so I have to figure out...what to do with pies. Ah! That's right! Coworkers! I do one thing that is ofter different, I will make a couple regular....and then I make my personal favorite. A savory one. Simple, leave out the evaporated milk!

This is my recipe (easier than reposting!) RKayne's Pumpkin Pie

I have to admit I am rather proud of it.

My other thing is I love to CARVE pumpkins. Every year, no matter where I am, must carve pumpkins. The ones in the pics I took in the recipe are from last year. This weekend I will be hitting the Farmers Market and getting a couple to carve. I can't wait! I am going for a big, heavy one...I want seeds.

And there is the OTHER thing I must have. Fresh Pumpkin Seeds. (My Recipe Here)

They are so wonderful...crispy fresh hot and tossed with any dang flavor you can think of. Something so yummy, and good for you too!

Last Post 210 days, 7 hours Ago ...Wow...

Oct 15, 2008 | 7:04 PM PST

That long. Since I have had a camera. It's in the mail (I had a minor setback that took a month, a month mind you to get my money back on an 80$...paperweight. It would not power on and brand new. Process takes FOREVER to get done, and now it is.). We have a Sony Cybershot on it's way so I will actually WRITE again. How I have missed writing, so much. Not just here, man I got some stuff going on. BIG time. OK, so soon you will see what has become of the Bonsai, and meet some new plants :D Wait till you see this balcony, I got SO lucky. Nice space for an avid gardener in an apartment, haha.

Going to miss the garden

Mar 19, 2008 | 11:57 AM PST

But guess ya'll will see me hitting the container gardening a lot more soon. *sigh* I gave away the baby self supporting, stringless sugar snap peas I had sown in a winter box a few weeks back this morning...to someone who will be in one location and able to harvest them.

I am going to miss having fresh peas and lettuces and spinach (don't know who will get to enjoy them). Nothing like putting a lot of work into something and finding out it is for naught. That being on MORE than one level. I will be the balcony gardener for awhile, but maybe get at least two tomatoes going as it will still be early enough in the season for me to get some going?

I do have to have a balcony, my bonsai must stay outside so that is a given...wish me luck on the hunt, mourn the lost garden for me. A bit o good will never hurt anyone...

New tree thingy

Mar 19, 2008 | 11:47 AM PST

So, I have a friend and they had this huge succulent (that I should post in ID) that was a bit sad. Perhaps I should have taken a pic of it before I 'helped' it out. I gave it a nice trim....I gave it a nice shower....and here it is! My new plant thingy!

Got pics?

Feb 11, 2008 | 3:12 PM PST

Allright! Got some pictures finally so you can see why I had so much fun, haha! This was last year, start to *halfway* finished. Go Here.

So, anyways, my post last year about why I stopped halfway, Here.

Well, now I have claimed the full space. That blackberry got a bit too happy where it was, guess I should have taken a pic, it had grown halfway up the space!

SO, now I have THIS space!

See the happy happy Parsley? All that soil..begging for plants!

There was a surprise, you can kinda see it down there. There was so much overgrowth under that blackberry that I had no clue it was there....

A rosemary bush. A very tough one who just now sees the light of day....

That was a serious chore that I felt, for sure :D

Here is a nice shot of the garlic, I had some flower bulbs coming up (I *thought* I had gotten all those tulips out!). As I know garlic really does not like to be transplanted I made sure to take it ALL up, get out the garlic and then replant the garlic by digging the hole REALLY deep and dangling the roots down while filling the dirt around them.

So, I proceeded to plant the entire area. In the garlic area I planted Early Radishes and towards the end I planted Spinach, then some Walla Walla sweet onions.

On the other side I put in a *tad* bit of spinach, some more onions, some butterleaf lettuce and greenleaf lettuce. It's time...time to grow!

Emergency Cow Poop.

Feb 10, 2008 | 4:24 PM PST

I really wanted to put in Walla Wallas today but the soil is still 'dirt' so I went to the local Home Depot and got some 'emergency cow poop', came home and I dumped about a bag and a half between the two spaces.

At this very moment I am reading a book called 'Cubed Foot Gardening' by Christopher O. Bird. Well, I really like what he has to say. So, I am doing an intensive seasonal rotation garden. Going through it I decided to ignore the packets suggestions (I know! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING???) Either way, I looked through our last frost, possible first frost...and found that for some reason (Ring of fire? Could it be the volcanoes? Hmmm...maybe ;) ) that our growing season is actually LONGER then where I grew up in NC! Maybe a month or so longer! Wow.

So, I planted! I planted the Walla Walla's that I was going to anyways, but also planted the smooth leafed Olympic spinach according to the 'cubed' ft design. Spinach is kinda tall so it gets the north side of the garden all over! Then I put the onions in front of the spinach to fill the area on the north side. On the south side I planted all the lettuces and some onions. I put the butterleaf and greenleaf through my newly opened area and then a 'garlic rectangle' and early radishes. So, assuming things work the way I have been reading, both online and in the book, and from what I saw last year....I should have solid green in about a month! wOOt!

Next week? Cold Frames based out of the containers that our greens come in.
I shall plant the tomatoes, I have Brandywine and my cross breed black prince/brandywines from last year, and some cherry sweets :D

Honestly....pics...
soon. I took some but the batteries need to charge up a bit, had to charge them a tad to take pics. Damn I need a new camera, haha.

The extra veggie space

Feb 10, 2008 | 9:20 AM PST

Last year, when I moved it, I started reclaiming the section of 'gardening space' next to the house. These were fallow sections, with an odd assortment of flower bulbs that were in weird places and a lot of grass. I could barely see the walkway between the two raised beds. Granted, this is a rental house but how could I possibly NOT use them?

So, at the end of these beds was a HUGE nasty, mean and thoroughly entrenched blackberry, one of the sorts that makes you understand why they are the bane of the PNW. I figured, go ahead and clear what I could and then cut it back, at the very least. No way, there *is* also a nest of yellowjackets, who knows how long they have been there!

Being the organic gardener I am, and having turned rather a bit of the soil already and seeing all the 'wonderful' (note sarcasm) grubs that were here and there...I had an odd idea. I left the yellowjackets alone! They eat grubs so we had an understanding, I leave you alone, you leave me alone :D That worked out great, I think there was only one time I went around the corner and thought, hey...not today...not going in there! Otherwise, we were out there all the time so it balanced well and I didn't have to go through the trouble of wiping out an entire colony, haha. I know...yellowjackets, and ground ones at that, the kind that if it stung my Mom, she would be dead...but still, didn't want to kill them, especially since they were such a help in the end.

I know they are still there, but they are hibernating so I went ahead and did the clearing. I really don't know exactly were they are, I am not sure they are actually in the garden itself but maybe in some bushes that are very thick at the end, which is actually the top of a rockery beside our very steep and very narrow (pretty much the Seattle norm) driveway. Guess we will find out when it warms up! I really need to take pics, still have one somewhere I can dig up to show where I stopped digging last year.

So, cutting that blackberry, I started cutting sections and tossing them back in the yard waste...and cutting...and cutting. The grass was long enough that when it died out for winter there were a couple sections that I just pulled it up with NO weeds below. Of course where there were weeds they were seriously there, and then the bulb thing. Shouldn't you have a rhyme or reason to placement? No...that was what whoever had put these in thought :D

The best thing was, in the corner I *think* the yellowjackets might be, under that blackberry from Hades...was a 2-3 foot tall Rosemary. Healthy, happy...and I had a chicken in the fridge so I went out to get some rosemary, thyme and a handful of parsley and stuffed them all into the chicken. So, lot of work, but immediate benefits. I will try to get some pics later, it has been raining pretty much ever since I was out there (started sprinkling while I was still out there but needed coffee grounds!).

Wow...tired...beat.

Feb 10, 2008 | 12:34 AM PST

I beat the rain! It was NOT raining for a sec, so I dashed out, got all the diggy tools, and reclaimed about 25-30 sq ft of gardening space...too tired right now to go into HOW it was to be that it was not claimed last year, will do so tomorrow. Maybe take a pic or two, show off the disgustingly happy parsley and garlic...lol. Let us say there was a lot of coffee involved, well, grounds, worked into the soil....

My Max Kat

Jan 21, 2008 | 1:42 PM PST

The Max is back, he is as bad 'normal' as he was before the broken hip...to all who are involved, Max loves ya ;)

Jungle Fever Exotics

Jan 21, 2008 | 10:35 AM PST

I happened to be south of Seattle this last weekend and stopped by Jungle Fever Exotics. He doesn't have a web presence, no website...not even his own computer! So, looking around, I saw what a wonderful place this must be, granted it is January but all of us gardeners know potential! He gave me permission to take some pictures so I will share those....I got a card, the address is 5050 N. Pearl, Tacoma, WA 98407 and phone 253-759-1669. The selection, now, in Winter was amazing! There were rather a few things that I am going back for, I can't even begin to name all the goodies, all I can say is if you are in the neighborhood, stop in. Keep in mind, this is ALL outside, right now.

Spinach!

Jan 17, 2008 | 9:40 PM PST

WOO HOO! Time to plant spinach, been pretty well staying around 40 during the day and got a pack of slow bolting spinach. Going to keep an eye on the weather and if it cooperates there will be spinach soon!

Poinsettia.

Jan 17, 2008 | 1:01 PM PST

My landlady brought a huge, beautiful...overgrown and rootbound poinsettia right before Christmas. So it sat, and I looked at it for a few days. In my office building wholesale slaughter was occurring. The plant people brought in tremendous amounts of poinsettias and placed them all up and down all the halls. This is a 15 story building, mind you. After they started suffering, they THREW THEM AWAY and placed NEW ones there. They would not allow anyone to take the 'refuse' as they have to account for each and every one. That killed me. I thought about that as I looked at this beastie whom I have never had, nor tried to keep. I am a sucker for things with leaves (ok...and fur...and claws...that go 'Meow') so I just couldn't do anything BUT decide to actually keep it. I took it outside, I had a big square pot that was going to eventually be a banana pot but the banana has rather a bit of growing to do before it is ready for a pot this size anyways, haha. Then I find out it has a 'cage' of sorts to keep it upright (are these even MEANT to be kept alive???) and to get it out of this there was going to be some loss. Several of the branches did break off, but not too bad. The roots? There was NO way to break them up, it will take awhile but I hope it just 'gets over it'. I cut a bit but that was all I could do. Bring it in, it seemed happy, still does. I have decided this plant will live. We shall see :D Otherwise, I got a nice big pot for something else ;)

Dragon Fruit Trees

Jan 17, 2008 | 12:49 PM PST

Why do they call it a tree if it actually is more of a vine? Good question but they sure do taste good as well as seem to grow good too, haha. They just popped up, and were doing their thing and stopped so I figure, ok, maybe it is just cold...perhaps they just start fast and grow slow? So there they sat, with the cute little 'baby' leaves (what is the term for those???) and doing....well...pretty much nothing but taking up windowsill space! So...I started watering them with cold black coffee. That is ALL. No water. Nope. Just my old, cold coffee.

They went NUTS. In the past two weeks they decided to grow, lol, so that is what they get. Coffee.

On another note, the cuttings in the green glass are Cuban Oregano. The only ones I have as, for some reason, the parent plant just died. Who knows? Que Sera, Sera. My motto? If it grows, great, if not, plant something else there! I figure it this way, they are very healthy and rooting nicely, seem to be content to stay in the water (maybe I should give one some room...set it the top of a flared vase and see what happens?) so I have no great rush nor need to plant them as of yet. Thinking I am going to wait till it gets warm enough outside for them. The one in the shot glass is a piece of my orange tree, I will put a pic below as it is the one I am making bonsai. It shot that piece UP right in the center and that is not an allowable thing, in my book, so I cut it off :D There I was, standing, looking at this nice...green growth. Yard waste? Why not give it a chance. We shall see what happens!

Ah, heck with a pic, here is the orange tree :D ORANGE TREE TRAINING

So, the citrus and banana are in a winter tank. I like to give them a nice, full spectrum bulb and everyone is very happy so far.

I know it shows the banana and mini rose outside of the tank, but I have shuffled them in now.

So, that is that for now.

Fall storms...beauty and destruction.

Nov 8, 2007 | 3:04 PM PST

So we had an amazing wind storm not that long ago. I even cleaned up the yard and battened down the hatches, so to speak. Got all the potted stuff down in a protected spot (will be the winter spot too!) and all the furniture and bikes nice and tidy and close...

Max is a dumb cat, I love him so but he is CRAZY. The wind started blowing HARD but it was not raining yet so I decided to give him some outside time. Nut job goes running around with the WILD KAT look in his eyes. You know the drill...run run run...mad dash...STOP! look around madly with flashing eyes.

He does not have that collar anymore, little jerk keeps losing them. This time was the worst as it had his license and a name tag. Jerk.

Then he did this and I was thinking 'Ain't he cute!'. As you can see all the brown in him, he snuck in as a regular cat and once he was established he is letting the Maine Coon out.

Then he FLEW over to one of the cedars and ran on the roof. Not happy. Wasn't happy a bit. He had no clue how windy it was, and how fast he could fly off! So I ended up standing in the raised bed while he teased me by coming to the edge when I was whistling and calling and finally came down so I promptly tossed him inside! Jerk. Cute, fuzzy, lovable jerk.

So, on to the destruction,

The dahlia. It took one hell of a beating...

My tomatoes, oh dear, my poor Black Prince...

The radishes I let bolt? So close to get my seed? Not a chance in hell. The wind snapped every single one of them and it was going so well. They would have had SO much seed. Damn. I had a fit and went ahead and cleared them out. They are now mulch. See all those seed heads? I don't even want to look.

So, upset as I was, daunted by the greenery that needs to be cut, tossed...all of the above, I started looking around. I have pretty much missed the nice fall foliage that so many are harping on as our nicely colored leaves have been passing us at about 90 MPH. I looked at my Bonsai and had to take another glance (and pictures!) as they are most gorgeous! Here is one where I took two different breeds and literally wrapped the Female around the Male to create a piece I call 'co-dependence'. hehe. Her color is amazing! He has just started to change a bit.

And one of my favorites, these are all about 4-5 yrs old. Such a nice yellow! Guess we have to keep our trees behind a wall in order to be able to see the colors!

The Japanese Elm has lost most of its leaves so gets to show off it's corkscrew nicely!

And the Cotoneaster is showing off it's berries, the wind took off a lot of them but it still has a few ;)

Then I notice the thyme and sages, how happy they are...it has finally cooled down enough for them.

And yes, I will get in there and weed them!

My herb pot looked a little unhappy, then I looked closer and changed my mind when I saw the flowers :D

The Parsley is happy finally, it does NOT like it hot-hot-hot, haha!

I come out of the garden area and see this, a cool little volunteer. One of the great things about a rental is you really don't know what is there so it is always a surprise

Yes, I know the buggers next to it have to go, lol. I *promise* LMAO!

Heading up the hill I see the dahlia in a different light...and that bush behind it? Never stopped flowering, it was leggy, like 8 ft tall and I cut the bejeezus out of it. So it flowered and has not stopped since early spring. Oh, how the honey bees and bumble bees love it!

Then I look over and see that the yellow rose a kid decided to trim this summer, with a toy sword *eek!* gave us something.

I look to the left and see fall colors on the hydrangea with a guest that really set it off!

Much better mood. What can I say, there is good in everything...I think. Excepting our present government, hehe. I decided to FINALLY plant the alpine strawberries that have been floundering and mocking me continuing to flourish despite my treatment of them. They will be great here, this spot is full of bulbs so is interesting for about 5 minutes then Blah.

So, I lost power. It was cold, windy and rainy and the power cut off while my non tv watching butt was in the middle of Grays Anatomy. I will not get radish seed this year from my crop. My tomatoes are a mess...the dahlia is half broken and the yard is a basic mess. A basic beautiful mess!

Pot Stash!

It is getting cold and much cleanup must be done. I need to get some mulch to help the fact that I have a neighbor cat that pooped in the bed! Once I get some mulch I will plant Garlic and Walla Walla sweet onions. I already picked up some Brussels Sprouts and Purple Kohlrabi seed for spring too so that will be fun!

And now, for fun, my pot stash!

I have dragon TREES?

Oct 22, 2007 | 3:42 PM PST

OK, they call them dragon trees. But they are a vine, a succulent vine that likes to climb. I got the idea to save the seeds so asked and Spiceoflife had some growing. Taking their advice and my own weird ideas...I have SEEDLINGS! Rather a few in fact...and more popping up...and the good thing is I have people who will like them too, haha!

The Plant Tank!

Oct 22, 2007 | 3:35 PM PST

Well, here it is, the overwinter home for my tropicals. The Nigerian Coffee tree's were truly pissed so they have lost the leaves but due to the lighting they were already getting happier and have new leaves growing. So, here I have a Banana, Tangerine, Orange, Key Lime, Nigerian Coffee and Lemon. The Banana has been moved in the tank since I took this pic, but the mini rose can stay out there, I just put it in there for the ambient light!

Water Gardening...indoors!

Oct 19, 2007 | 10:19 AM PST

I have a couple tanks (ok, a bunch, but only three for water!) and in the kitchen I decided to set up the ten gallon and put in some plants. It got a bit crowded, Red Ludwigia...Parrot Tail...Bamboo...Amazon Sword...the fish can barely move, haha.

So, I decided I need to move them. I have a 40 gallon tank in the bedroom that is now empty. I set up the 55 gallon tank, but had to make a lid (cats). So I did. No trim on it yet, but I did this with a Jig Saw! Yes, I am damn proud of it. Give me a circular saw or a table saw and I will be downright dangerously handy! HAHA!!

The plants in the ten gallon, well, most of them are going to the 40 gallon soon (would have been last night but with the wind I lost power so DAMMIT I MISSED HALF OF GRAY'S ANATOMY!! I DON'T WATCH TV but I do watch that...and House...I couldn't move the plants because I will not do that by candle light! I am going to separate the Sword, looks like I should be able to make it become 4 or 5 Swords, I am good at that :D the little ones I will keep in the ten gallon for now. I will move the Bamboo, but I am going to play, and chop one of them into canes the length of each section and see what happens, haha. The 40 gallon is mostly going to become 'just for plants' with maybe a few fancy guppies, a catfish and a sucker fish. This is going to be fun :D

And Yes, those are Goldfish, I get feeders (those were..and see how they have grown) and put them in the small tank until it is ready for pricey fish (usually about 2-3 months) and do the same all the way to the biggest (or last) tank that needs to be set up. After that I find someone with a pond to take them!