Oh My God...my magical new little garden!!!

Emily and I had gone out to fill the birdfeeder about a week ago, and she ended up having some seed she was playing with in her little plastic kitchen out in the screenroom. The past three days it has been raining, and lo and behold tonight I walked out there (and I am even willing to risk you seeing my stained up chatahootchee flooring out there, to see this).....I found a little garden sprouting in the cracks of the pebbles!!! hehehehehe...




Lord give me strength...I am laughing to see how far will this go??? Looks like rain in the forecast a few more days...wonder what kind of seeds they are??? I am guessing the little round ones in the bag called millet. This is how it started out...the millet are the tiny round ones...what do you think???

I know what I think...I better get busy and find a way to clean my flooring!!!
Have a happy Friday and happy holiday weekend!!!


God bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above;

From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.

Squash and bean planting in July!

Now, here in south Florida, the growing season for most vegies are in the winter months, but I looked up a south Florida planting guide for vegies, and found two things! I can grow Yard-long green beans (they actually grow about 28 inches long), and summer squash! I am excited. I rarely try to grow anything in the summer, because it is so blasted hot, but because of my blogger friend, Bobbie Lynn over at Why I Love To Garden, I found out that the summer squash grows as a bush (not vining)!!! I am so happy! I think I will try a few bushes! I really want to grow the beans too, but need to put them on about a 6 ft trellis at least...which means I will have to construct something! Hmmmmm.....I really want to!


IMAGES FROM: ucdavis, and Seeds of India.

A big THANK YOU TO BOBBIE LYNN for giving me the info regarding the squash!!!
You can see a pic of her bush in the link above, and here is a pic of the yard-long beans...the red and green varieties ...don't they look like a boatload of fun!

Hello...it's finally Cactus Monday! (Late)

(NOTE: I though this posted Sunday night for Cactus Monday, but alas, today on Tuesday morning it is just getting posted...sorry)

Well, I thought I would update you on my happening world here! First, on Friday night I conked the 4th toe on my right foot onto a chair leg and it hurt like a --- of a -----!!!!! I curled over the chair and let out a scream I'm sure could be heard in California!!! LOL. It turned all black and blue and swelled up to where I figure I had broken it. I worked all weekend, and it is looking 75% better already...so I think I will live now! :) You know, work is good for anything that ails you! I am convinced that it's true. If I don't have time to sit around and think about my problems, they disappear when I'm not looking!!! :)

I haven't been out to see my garden since my last post, and guess what? I still haven't gotten the dogs toenails cut!!! I promise myself it will be done by Tuesday (my next day off).

I wanted to share a super simple recipe with you all. The gal I work with (all of 28 years old) told me she is addicted to this! It is the crunchy French's Fried Onion baked chicken! I bought the can of onions today and we are going to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cause that is what we like). I think that will be part of Tuesdays dinner, for sure! The recipe is also on the French's Onion can!

Well, for Cactus Monday, I will show you some new pics of Rex, the Euphorbia in my screenroom! He rarely gets water, and still he keeps on growing...tall, wavy and handsome!


OK...so I suppose that is all I can say for today! Hope everyone has a wonderful week!
xoxo- Julie

Crown of Thorns

Well, look at what I stumbled upon at a place of business today! There were two of these and I could not resist taking pictures!!! Don't you love how they snake all out of these rectangular concrete planters???

I have been having such crazy days at work and home, that I actually considered (at a very weak moment) deleting a few things from my daily schedule and the two that would be cut first were going to be my garden and the blog!!! I knew I had better sit on these ideas a while...and I did. There will be no blog deleting...and thanks to my Mom who comes over daily (sometimes twice daily) to water my garden...it gets to stay too!

To quote a nun who I used to work with (she was Vietnamese)..."That's life" (Pronounced more by her like "That's Ryfe")...I guess it will just keep going on whether or not I can keep up with it...and I just have to keep trying!

Cheers to all of you! I have tomorrow (Friday) off, and will finally take my dog for a toenail cut. I have been negligent, and should be beaten! Poor Dooze...

Happy Grandpa Day around here!!!

From some wild and crazy kids!!!


q

Giant Begonia...what is it?

My friend got a cutting of a giant Begonia, and it has grown into this plant!!! It is huge! The leaves are amazing!!! She will give me a cutting as soon as one of three things happen after my cat dies...either the grandkids get old enough not to mess with it, or the grandkids move out of my house to a place of their own. Quite frankly, am willing to wait...but when I do get one, it will be my new baby, and I will love it so much!!!

Anyone know what the official name of this amazonian plant is???

Happy Cactus Monday!!!!!!!!!

Yes...I finally made it here for CACTUS MONDAY!!!!! I will be having this auto-post on Sunday night, since I will have to work all day Monday. I finally forced myself to sit down today and do a little fun art! What inspired me was my near dead Christmas Cactus. I'm afraid it is just plain on it's last legs. It has been doing a slow death for a year already. I guess it will be time for some new ones this year. I can't even think about trying to root cuttings from these two...it just saddens me too much!

So, I decided to make an artistic version of a happy, fun-loving new girl...and here she is:

She was made from hearts cut out of the Sunday clothes ads, mostly. There is one heart made from picture of chocolate cake up on the upper left! Everything cut from the Sunday ads though. I added a few dots to the ends of the "branches", and had a good time not only using the little hearts I cut, but also the pieces that I had cut them out of.

I hope you enjoy seeing my Cactus Monday contribution this week, and I am looking forward to seeing everyone elses as well after I get home from work (and after America's Got Talent, as well...if it's on)!!! Hello to Teri, over at Painted Daisies (our fearless leader)...click on the link to say hi to her and if you should wish to join us, tell her you want to join Cactus Monday, where any sort of cactus or succulent contribution is appreciated and loved!
xoxo- Julie

Happy Cactus Monday!!!!!!!!!

Yes...I finally made it here for CACTUS MONDAY!!!!! I will be having this auto-post on Sunday night, since I will have to work all day Monday. I finally forced myself to sit down today and do a little fun art! What inspired me was my near dead Christmas Cactus. I'm afraid it is just plain on it's last legs. It has been doing a slow death for a year already. I guess it will be time for some new ones this year. I can't even think about trying to root cuttings from these two...it just saddens me too much!

So, I decided to make an artistic version of a happy, fun-loving new girl...and here she is:

She was made from hearts cut out of the Sunday clothes ads, mostly. There is one heart made from picture of chocolate cake up on the upper left! Everything cut from the Sunday ads though. I added a few dots to the ends of the "branches", and had a good time not only using the little hearts I cut, but also the pieces that I had cut them out of.

I hope you enjoy seeing my Cactus Monday contribution this week, and I am looking forward to seeing everyone elses as well after I get home from work (and after America's Got Talent, as well...if it's on)!!! Hello to Teri, over at Painted Daisies (our fearless leader)...click on the link to say hi to her and if you should wish to join us, tell her you want to join Cactus Monday, where any sort of cactus or succulent contribution is appreciated and loved!
xoxo- Julie

Saturday garden work and photos

This afternoon, yes, in full sun, I went out to move things around, pull out the old, plant up new, and generally get things a little ready for summer heat.

I moved all of my vegie buckets to my new "vegie and hospital" area. In with the eggplants, and okras, are a recovering chysanthemum (about 2 years old, and I thought I had killed it with lack of water, when it started coming back), and some new (green buckets) of new okra plants, plus 2 recovering gardenia bushes I had bought and not yet planted.. The new hospital area is in partial shade for the hot, hot steamy summer months here. They can all live here until I get home in the evening to water them.




I actually watered the succulent tires and strawberry pot today, because we are in a terrible drought! So much so that,... look, ...even my patio cracked! LOL. They just took our watering restriction down to only 1 day a week, starting on Monday! I can still water my plants by hand in the evenings.



There are a few of these on the fence this afternoon, but they are fading fast for the evening, and in the heat.

My hibiscus are coming back for the summer (that is their peak bloom time). I can never get sharp pics of the hibiscus...I wonder why???

I love this fancy one that has three blooms on the end of one branch!!!

Here is my PURPLE garden, with green and purple low growing spiky Oyster Plants, and tall growing fushia/purple hawaiian Ti Plants. I need to cut them down and it makes them put out more growth and become bushier. I may get that done tomorrow...because I am seriously shaping this yard up for total neglect over the next 6 months of torturous heat. I'll be at the mall, thankyou!!


I brought in 2 eggplants, 4 tomatoes (still green, but I couldn't wait any longer to remove the plants, and get the okras planted), and a potful of kale (last plant pulled out today after a run of 1 year and a season). My Mom provided the mangos from my cousins tree. Looks like good additions to our chicken wing dinner tonight!

Oh...and here is a pic of the quart sized bag of zipper peas (ignore the ice crystals) I received from my Aunt and Cousin in Lakeland. They both grew them and shelled them for me too!!! I can't wait to cook them. Maybe tomorrow. I have never tasted zipper peas, but they are a southern pea, more like black eyed, I presume.

Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the weekend, and now I am looking to create a Cactus Monday post...just wait and see...I can do it, yes I can!!! :)
xoxo- Julie

Mojito garden

Last night when we went out to dinner (grandchildrenless) I had a Mojito. I rarely EVER drink anything alcoholic, so you can imagine my delight after a hard day at work, when after I drank this thing (pre-eating) I suddenly had no aches or pains, I was suddenly amazed by the game of baseball that was on the TV's around me, AND...I was suddenly struck with an wonderfully amazing idea!!! (It IS incredible what ONE alcoholic drink can do to me, ok)???

So what was this great great idea??? Well...after the effects of the drink made me realize I should have a Mojito more often...it came to me to plant a lime tree (small, patio sized) in a pot, and surround it with mint plants! All I would need to buy for my drinks would be some club soda and rum. My husband said I should also grow sugar cane, and have a horse that could go around in circles to grind it for my drinks as well! The fantasy continues, eh???

No, but seriously...I live in a tropical environment and this seems the perfect combination! What do you guys think...should I proceed ahead this weekend.....or is it too dangerous considering how 1 drink affects me?????

Mojito
10 fresh mint leaves
1/2 lime, cut into 4 wedges
2 tablespoons white sugar, or to taste
1 cup ice cubes
1 1/2 fluid ounces white rum
1/2 cup club soda

A Mojito is traditionally made of five ingredients: white rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime juice, sparkling water and mint. The original Cuban recipe uses spearmint or yerba buena, a mint variety very popular in the island. Its combination of sweetness, refreshing citrus and mint flavors are intended to complement the potent kick of the rum, and have made this clear highball a popular summer drink.
When preparing a Mojito, lime juice is added to sugar (or syrup) and mint leaves. The mixture is then gently mashed with a muddler. The mint leaves should only be bruised to release the essential oils and should not be shredded. Then rum is added and the mixture is briefly stirred to dissolve the sugar and to lift the mint sprigs up from the bottom for better presentation. Finally, the drink is topped with crushed ice or ice shavings and sparkling soda water. Mint leaves and lime wedges are used to garnish the glass.

I am thinking mine should be virginal:

Leave out the rum!
Put the lime, mint, and sugar in a glass and muddle.
Fill cup with ice about 3/4 full.
Top off with club soda, or lemon-lime soda (I think this sounds better)
Stir with a spoon.
Garnish with fresh sugar cane if you can get some.

What a nice refreshing summer drink! The Mojito garden would come in handy!!!

Our little out of town trip!

A beautiful curb garden in a roundabout in Lakeland. Had to have a pic!






We had a great time on our overnight trip to Lakeland, where we got to visit with family, and take the grands to a really neat park. In case you are wondering, that is NOT a gun Donovan is holding in the pic where he is at the end of a tunnel...it is a Power Ranger phone-like play toy. The two rose pics are from the entrance to the park/playground. We all had such a nice time, we are planning future returns. Our hotel was right in the middle of all the shopping and dining action of a relatively new outdoor "mall". There was a movie theater with IMAX...unfortunately they were playing Pirates of the Caribbean, a bit too much for the little kids. This morning we swam, visited a book store, and met my aunt and cousin for lunch before coming back home. We had dinner at a wonderful place last night, called Fish City Grill. The fish was so delicious, we cannot wait to return! I had a pistachio encrusted red snapper with a jerk (island) cream sauce (one of the specials)...it was to die for!!! Heavenly! There are a few locations in Texas! Check them out!

Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean

I am sitting on the 6th floor of the courthouse overlooking the Intracoastal and Atlantic Ocean (here in the official capacity of DRIVER for a few folks). It is such a beautiful day here, with a gorgeous blue sky and puffy white clouds floating by. Somewhat breezy too...good for keeping the humid heat down, and the mosquitos blown away! The mosquitos are here in full force again for the summer.

I am excited that I can take the kids and grands on a little mini-trip for a few days...swimming in hotel pool, shopping, and visiting a really neat park that has been made for disabled and non-disabled children age 2-12 to play side by side.

I am so ready for a little trip!

A bunch of what sounds like case managers for child welfare has entered the room where I am sitting, and they are chatting about stuff...interesting, but sad. They are waiting for a big meeting to start. Oh...here they go...they are getting up to leave...alone again...quiet at last. Hehehe.

I feel like a reporter giving a blow by blow of what I am seeing here. It is uncomfortable to be in a courthouse. The idea of lawsuits makes me uneasy. Seems there is always some evil element to them. Maybe. Not really sure...just a gut feeling.

Well...hope everyone has a nice weekend coming up!
Ever onward...and just remember...this is the only life we get...make it fun!
Julie

Paper fish fun!

Tonight I was doing some origami paper folding with my grandson. He loved it. We each made a little canoe-like boat. He followed along with each step as I showed him. Then we were trying to make these rather complicated paper fish. I wanted to give up, but in the end, I just sort of faked it, and crumpled the paper up and it had a kind of fishy look...I grabbed a colored pencil, drew an eye, added a smile and some other features...and then I crumpled his up. He added stickers (the other side of his fish is plastered with them) and drew on a face...then our fish had to BATTLE each other...he is 6 years old afterall. I'm telling you, if you want to have some fun with a 6 year old...do some paper craft. It is amazing!