eLPy's Blog, page 20
April 4, 2014
A New Day – 56 – Happy Anniversary LFP!
(Pardon me a bit as I’ve got some back log here for ya!)
One year ago today – 5 April 2013 – I joined WordPress. Little Face Publications has been more than happy here & we’ve been growing ever since. I believe it was within the last couple of months that this year’s visits have topped the number I had all last year! Thank you everyone, whether you follow me or stop by once or once in a while, it’s a great encouragement. As I noted elsewhere I’ve put my book on sale for the month of April, this is perfectly in line with National Poetry Month & the anniversary of this very fine website! I’m definitely very proud of my book & my continued progress. So far it’s been received pretty well but I could use a little help from all of you guys in spreading the word about this new collection. You may be surprised the people you know who could use a poem from time to time or just so happen to like poetry (maybe they don’t know it!). And, if you’re interested in a bigger order, say just 6 or more books, contact me directly and I will give you a discount. Also when you order the print edition but have an e-reader, I will send you a free copy of my e-book!
I’ve also had the chance to meet new people online here & come across some awesome blogs myself. I love the opportunities this blog provides me to expand my horizons, creatively & socially.
Contact me for a copy of That Which Lives Within or buy yours today in print or e-book on Amazon or as an e-book from Barnes & Noble. And if you want your copy signed to you or someone else, all you gotta do is ask!
And it only makes sense that today’s pictures are of two White-breasted Nuthatches courting (actually there were three dancing around). I didn’t have much time to get the screen open again so bare with me they aren’t so clear but, it was fun. Enjoy!
You go buddy!
Yeah! Check me out little lady.
He is showing his handsome little fluffed up stuff!
Check me out!
Aw, yeah, I’m acrobatic too! Choose me!
Yes, yes THAT mole!
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Additional Orchid Show Photos
I promised you all that I would post some more images from the Orchid Show at the Chicago Botanic Gardens a couple of weeks back, so here you are.
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I believe people refer to this lower “lip” the white part as a sort of dancing lady dress!
This Nun’s Orchid may seem simple to some but in real life this was really a pretty special little largely terrestrial plant.
A lot of us are familiar with the Moth Orchids, or Phalaenopsis, but how aware are you that the star-like shape is also pretty prevalent. For example in Zygopetalums & Oncidium Alliance.
I love how FLORIFEROUS Oncidiums can be! I can’t wait to have my own. :-)
Look at this FLORIFEROUS beauty!!!
This Orchid and the previous one were in the lobby areas outside the various greenhouse rooms. They were in baskets of sorts that were mounted in the various columns.
Here’s another part, a bigger view of the previous Orchid. It was a huge, beautiful plant. Whoever wound up with this is happy and proud!
what a lovely little guy!
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Another one of their really cool “Orchid tree” displays that were in the greenhouse rooms.
I think Orchids are as diverse as mammals. In fact from my reading I’ve learned that they are the largest group of flowering plants in the world! I’ve probably said that huh, well it’s AWESOME!
Here’s a different example of those baskets I said were hung up on the columns. This was one of my favorites of those.
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April 3, 2014
A New Day – 55 – Crocus Blooms (almost)
Crocuses about to do their thing!
(Psst! Remember Day 49 & the Crocuses pushing up through the snow? Well look at them now!)
Here are just some of the things I love about Crocus:
They’re perennial
They are a very early spring bloomer (growing through the snow at times even)
They’re short but with showy 1-2″ flowers (as in my case)
They grow more abundantly each year
They’re easy to grow
Some people tend to go the route of annuals (plants that die after one full season), and who can blame them there are a lot of options. I myself would like to grow some more annuals this year, however my preference is perennials. If cared for perennials come back year after year often spreading out and growing in greater abundance each season. It is this last fact that has me particularly excited.
Sometimes when we plant things tend to look a little on the “arranged” side, at least for me. What I mean is that a couple of falls ago I planted an arching row of Crocus, as a opposed to a group of them which is sometimes recommended. So that when they came up it was literally a rainbow shape of individual Crocus. Sure it was nice given that little else flowers that early, but they kind of looked spotty. I realized then why they recommend planting some bulbs in groups with each other, so that when they come up they look like a little bouquet of themselves. Nevertheless, two years later now my Crocus are migrating themselves; where there was one before three or four are now coming up. Of course it’s not always a good thing when you’re plants do their own thing but I like to watch them take on their natural order, besides if I don’t like it I can always pull them up. Mine have at least doubled in number and they are no longer in my little arch row, which is fine because that looked too “arranged” anyways. But I’m so, so excited to see and know that they are thriving and growing well.
Plus, and negative, if I didn’t like their unruliness well their flowers don’t last past April in my case (which is also the negative). You can see some of their now grouped nature in my pictures as well as the subtle elegance of these small and very cherished flowers.
The beauty of spreading perennials
More flowers this year!
The other plants I’ve noticed coming up are:
Crown Imperial Fritillaria (two now coming up where there was one; 4 total)
Muscari
Phlox
Silvermound (artimesia)
Hyacinth (Yeah! Their flowers are so yummy smelling!)
Allium (one extra so far)
I’m sure there are others and I know there are other perennials whose old growth never completely died back and they’ve just been rejuvenating themselves. Very exciting! Now I just have to figure out how I want to expand these beds, what to plant and how to arrange the rest of the things I have planned for my yard!
What are your yard plans? What are you planting? And do tell, what’s sprouting/blooming in your yard?
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A New Day – 54 – Orchid Roots & Repotting
This day’s photo is more science/informative oriented than artistic. These are from the Phalaenopsis Orchid I had picked up new at that time from a local box store (Meijer’s). It’s a beautiful, healthy plant with stunning flowers, even if they are dyed! Over a month later I’ve managed to keep it blooming (2-3 flowers were already wilting and later fell off) and still have 4 beautiful blooms. This week I noticed while watering a number of very small, thin, silvery-white bugs crawling all over the media (in my case bark/charcoal/lava rock mixture). Of course I felt a bit panicked because plant pests can potentially cause you a lot of problems, especially if they’re mealy bugs or Aphids. I immediately isolated this Orchid from the rest of the group by putting it in the other room. Then I consulted OrchidBoard (I was in a bit of a rush so did this instead of diving into some pest/disease resources I know of). The responses I read later that day told me that these bugs sounded like Springtails; upon hearing that name it brought to mind a picture I’d seen while going through information about plant pests & diseases and I was more convinced that that’s what they were.
As it turns out Springtails are pretty harmless, but they do indicate that your plant probably needs to be repotted. Springtails like to feed on rotting vegetation and over time potting mixtures break down and/or rot, as do Orchid roots due to over-watering and/or overly wet conditions. I hadn’t repotted this plant when I first got it because I thought doing so while in bloom would cause the flowers to die. This is sometimes the case, especially if you’re not careful during the process. but if I am correct (from what I’ve been learning in this hobby so far) it is better to repot once you get your plant home. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that you don’t know how long your plant has been in that medium; as far as you know the roots could be rotting or the medium for that matter. I’m not sure this is the case though with plants that you get from a reputable greenhouse. It’s always good to ask, when you can, when the last time it got repotted was.
Needless to say, that night I carefully removed this Orchid (I call Desire but after I read the side of the plastic pot it’s called ‘Pink Pirate’) from its pot and the medium it was in. More experienced Orchidists will tell you to carefully pick the medium away with tweezers, especially if it’s sphagnum moss, be careful not to damage roots. It was suggested to me that I let the plant air dry over night and then repot the next day. Also to add boiling water to a bowl full of bark medium (assuming I’m using that, which I used bark & coconut coir) and let it soak until the water’s cooled off. This opens up the fibers of the bark if you will allowing for more water to penetrate it and be absorbed when watering. The root system you see below, which I understand to be pretty good, really good even (see how many there are!), is obviously what it looked like after I cleaned them thoroughly. And of course as it turned out, it appeared the bark medium it was in had long since been deteriorating. I’m almost glad for those little creepy crawlers now, which are not the white spots on the roots btw.
Phalaenopsis ‘Pink Pirates’ roots
But I went ahead and clipped off roots that were hollow and/or mushy. The greenish spongy covering over the roots I’ve learned is called velamen and this is what helps absorb the water. Inside this there’s the actual string-like root structure which I believe is called the Stele. This is what you want to keep an eye out for especially. A plant’s root system may have a bunch of these hanging but most likely if they’re brown they’re dead. But not all Orchid species have these green roots. Paphiopedilums like my ‘Pink Fred’ & Perfection #7 have hairy brown roots but they too have velamen over the stele. If it sloths away readily from the string/hair-like stele then it’s dead.
Phal. ‘Pink Pirate’ leaves & roots
I’ve received a lot of invaluable information and advice from OrchidBoard in regards to this hobby & my plants. With epiphytic Orchids (those that grow off trees or rock faces) the most important thing is air; you want the roots to receive enough moisture while having plenty of aeration. James M. on the board shared his motto of “water the roots, not the medium”, meaning it’s more important that they have moisture & air than soaking the medium being wet.
With all of that said I’m not going to go into detail about the entire repotting process but I did go ahead and repot ‘Pink Pirate’ in a slightly bigger pot, from 4″ maybe 5″ tall to about 5″ wide and 7″ tall. It was a pot that had a sort of “podium” in the bottom of it so when you place the typical clear plastic orchid pot on it there’s space below that provides aeration for the roots. Well I drilled many holes, some 1″ in diameter, in the side and bottom or it and potted ‘Pink Pirate’ in it directly. This way I made sure that there is more air getting to the roots and that the medium dries sooner, likely preventing overly wet conditions and/or fungus growth.
This is the pot that I altered by adding all these holes.
Another thing I will say before I go is that you don’t want to pot Orchids too deep and don’t pot “air roots”, the roots that are growing out of the medium on their own. This goes along with them needing good aeration. Here’s ‘Pink Pirate’ now.
And there you have it, Phalaenopsis ‘Pink Pirate’ perfectly pleasant in a purple pot.
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April 2, 2014
A New Day – 53 – Spring Action!
I just love how photography, writing, any creative venture captures you spontaneously sometimes. While working on my computer – writing, website, blog & all – I noticed a cat out the window stalking something. Next I saw a small fuzzy mole scavenging about in the leaf covering. I thought for sure this was her target. But then as the mole got closer the cat just watched it curiously. The thing was inches from her and…she did nothing but turn and stalk something behind her (where there was another mole). Okay, so cute cat, cute mole (even those I sort of despise them…different story), right? Right. Type, type, clackity-clack, think, think, la la la, how nice to have the windows open!
Not interested!
Oh hey, look a Blue Jay out the window! I love how bright their colors are right now; the blue is more stunning than they look in the winter. Mr. Blue Jay (or Mrs.) landed on a branch above the mole and kept watching the moving leaves curiously. Then it would bounce on the branch and make a rapid clicking sound. Watch some more, bounce, vocalize. It did that several times before BAM it attacked the mole pecking and tossing it a bit! What! I know they’re members of the Crow family but I didn’t know they’d prey on small rodents like this. The thing of course was chirping and crying out, then WHAM again but more ferociously this time, with conviction, the Blue Jay was pecking. It was in for the kill. At the window I was but in order to get the action I had to just snap with the screen down. I could hear the ice cream truck coming down the road in the distance, the tune it’s a small world after all, it’s a small world after all, it’s a small world after all repeating itself. The Blue Jay seemed to have become alarmed as the song grew louder and the van nearer; it made the very familiar sort of caw that Blue Jays do.
What!
As I got the screen up, the mole writhed about, the Blue Jay watched the road, the van drove by music and all, the Blue Jay was gone. Oh it was terrible. I thought it would come back for the mole, don’t kill it in vain! The mole spun around for several minutes, then scavenged for a while. It definitely wasn’t okay but it was moving about again. When I checked after my run I found its little cold hard body. 
As much as I don’t like them, that wasn’t fair Blue Jay! But talk about action! I did not know in all my years that Blue Jays would do that! I thought it was curiously watching the thing, not that it came down the first place for a kill. Ya got me… They’re blurry but I’m going to share the pics I got nonetheless, I had to be fast!
Hmm
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It took off when Ice Cream “truck” (van) drove by. *Sigh*
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April 1, 2014
A New Day – 52 – Love, Dedication, & NaPoWriMo
Check out this link to poets.org for information on National Poetry Month events and ways to celebrate poetry!
April is National Poetry Month, or National Poetry Writing Month if you prefer (though they’re not necessarily one and the same). The challenge out there for poets and writers is to write a poem a day for the next month. Wow! That requires a love of the craft and dedication to it. It’s also a great opportunity to tap into your creative side and meet any poetry writing quotas you might have, like I do. So far this year I’m behind in my poetry writing but April is the perfect time to turn this around. This is also a great time to highlight my poetry book, That Which Lives Within, published last August. So I’m going to be putting it on sale again for the month of April starting Friday the 4th. The e-book will be available for $0.99 & the print book for $7.00! Come get a copy at this great discount! I know I’ve said I’ll get the shopping cart up on my site for a while but don’t worry National Poetry Month is the month it’s going to happen. Then you can pick up a copy directly from me, but until then the print book is available on Amazon & the e-book on Amazon & Barnes & Noble. Check out my review section to hear what some people are thinking of my book so far. Please share your thoughts on your own copy after you pick one up at these discounted prices and get a chance to read it.
Love & Dedication
I think Spring is a great time for self-discovery and reflection of all sorts like the journey I take you on in That Which Lives Within. During the spring we spring clean, we plan our yard and landscaping projects, we walk more and set our fitness goals higher, and heck we even smile more. I think a lot of us feel stronger in spring because we feel renewed and reinvigorated after having survived the winter, especially this winter. But this renewal we feel, these goals we set do require us to be dedicated and loyal, they require effort on our part, just as our responsibilities and children and pets do, as do our crafts and hobbies too. To write a book you have to be dedicated to the individual pieces of work as well as the process. You have to love what you do even if you don’t love every part of it (pretty sure you don’t like cleaning the litter box or scooping soggy poo out of your yard either but you love your pets, bet changing diapers isn’t all that awesome). If you want to lose weight this spring, you have to love yourself and you have to be dedicated to your new efforts and routine changes. Of course this goes for every goal, from beginning to end.
Today’s pictures for my project 365 are perfect to welcome National Poetry Month because they show the love of my dog. I started to pet her head ever so lightly and she just thought it was the best. I snapped a pic as fast I could while I could! Dogs need love. They need food, water, and exercise too. Sometimes we have to put a lot of effort into their needs: training, grooming (if your dog has long hair), medical needs, yard poo clean ups (oh I remember cleaning up the yard as a kid after winter or a hard rain…ugh, terrible, soggy, gross…), cleaning up after them, exercise (depending on the needs and age of the dog), etc. Other times all it takes is the smallest action to make them happy, like rubbing their ears or just petting them ever so softly on their head. After a run together I like to crouch down where she’s laying and thank her speaking gently and petting her softly, such a sentimental moment. As a whole all of these things sustain them, just the way the bigger and little things sustain us. And, as I keep saying, the same actually does go for writing. You don’t always have to sit down and write 6,000 words in one go, or complete a story in one sitting, or create the bestest most beauteous poem of all time. No, sometimes your work just needs a little pet, a few kind words and show of appreciation to show your dedication. You don’t always have to set time aside for it, let it be spontaneous, let it be short, let it be genuine. Sure, you gotta walk the dog every day even when you don’t want to; sometimes you just gotta get your butt in that chair and make it happen. But if that’s all you ever do than your work is going to miss out on some quality time. So spend time with your work, quality time, love it, be dedicated and loyal, tend to it.
I write because I love it. I come back to a story or a poem, a project or marketing because I’m dedicated. These are just a few of the things it takes to accomplish what you set out to do. As writers we’re always finding new ways to stay committed to our craft and our projects. It might be a conference you register for or a workshop, a retreat you plan on attending, or for example in my case to start off the month I entered the Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards. As with most things – including collecting/keeping/growing Orchids – the more dedicated you are, the more you want to achieve/accomplish, the more is required of you. If you do agility with your dog than you’ve got to do a lot more than basic training and walking, obviously. If you want to “collect” Orchids, and different kinds, you’re going to have to “tend” to them. So if you want to be “an author” you’re going to do more than just write. Writing a book meant being more critical of my work, combing through the poems I chose for the line-up (even then some things snuck by me), reading more poetry by other writers, and being more engaged with the writing community among so many other things.
You have to put yourself aside when people leave reviews for you. You have to see your cover in terms of how it relates to your content and how appealing it is, not just whether or not YOU like it and your mom thinks it’s really neat. Writing a book and publishing it meant for me that I couldn’t just stay cooped up with my writing in a corner somewhere. I had to come out of my shell and read and write more. I had to connect with other writers and look for other poets I like. When you publish your work you become part of a much bigger community. I’m an author now with readers and potential readers, and critics too! I have to sell my self in a sense, not just my work; you really become a bit of a public figure. The book doesn’t work for you, you work for it; you put it together, paid to publish it, and now you have to market it. It’s kind of like, “If you build it they will come…”, yeah only kind of in that you have to put the effort in to create but if you write it, they won’t necessarily come unless you’re already established! I think it’s more so if you write it they must SEE it. And that’s one of the biggest challenges. I love my dog but not everyone would want to care for her, she sat at the rescue for 4-6 months before I adopted her. Just because I love my work, my craft, doesn’t mean everyone else will. I am its advocate. Ha, want another analogy? Well if you’re trying to lose weight this spring you’re body’s not going to exercise without you (your mind) and your appetite sure isn’t going to hold itself back; that’s ALL YOU BUDDY!
So April showers bring May flowers yeah? Shower your craft this April, your hobby, your dedication, your goals and look for the flowers in May!
Cheers everybody and do keep me posted with how your garden of progress grows! (You know I’m going to be keeping you posted.) And tell everyone who likes poetry my books on sale! 
Things to look for this month:
I won’t post all the poems I write as then that cancels out my ability to submit them for publication but I will share some.
Interviews with other poets (and writers)
Highlights and information about some poets I’ve come to favor
Possibly events pertaining to NaPoWriMo I MAY attend
and who knows, you’ll just have to wait and see.
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March 31, 2014
A New Day – 51 – Spring’s Hazy Transition
Inching, itching along at the cold layer left over on our skin we worship every moment of the peeking sun as though it’s something different from the one that kept us bright through winter. The ground regains its normal shape, no longer mounded over and several feet high. How many of us regard the land, the ground, the grass, the rocks, the road, the sidewalks as though we’ve never seen them before? My dog trots along urgently smelling the soggy dull grass. It’s as if all the old smells retained their grace and she just simply can’t get over this renewed sense of life. She has me looking at the ground in such great relief that the flat low profile of land is still what I remembered it to be, even if it feels so new to me.
Now why do they call it Staghorn Sumac? Hmm
Year after year we’ve been through this, summer, fall, winter, spring, start it all over and do it again. But what magnificence life holds and provides us after our survival of the Polar Vortex! Gusty winds and far below freezing temperatures, record snow falls and record efforts. When’s the last time you shoveled so much, so frequently?
When I run I notice everything it seems. My path is clear and yet it’s less visible now because the street lights don’t have any snow to reflect off. The sidewalks, all of them, are available to me now. No more dodging the long stretches of deep snow and ice. I get too warm now. It’s like a night on the town, I don’t quite know what to wear. The wind is like the fingers of Spring reaching out to sooth me, generally not too cool and certainly not too warm, rather just enough to relieve my overdressed state. I’m not just fighting the elements anymore, I’m striving to work with myself and everything around me.
Even as the forecast still makes us shiver we have a lot to work with. One thing I so love about Spring is the “haze” as I like to refer to it; that subtle green that starts to creep in, the colors that serve you best if you don’t focus on them but let them blur in your perspective. This hazy transition is like the pale blue or bright fire that glows just before the sun comes up, the promise of a day ahead. And so I watch the new growth, I stand in awe, I photograph it, I share it, I cherish it for what it means this hazy transition of color into Spring.
Intensifying purple of the raspberry vines
Before the trees green over and the grass requires cutting, before the world is once again covered in color take a moment to rejoice in the simplicity of this transitional, magical zone of change. Look at how the color of the birds is intensifying – Cardinals, Blue Jays, Robins, etc. – it’s not just the green in fact that has yet to really begin. I think I’ll almost miss seeing the sky through the trees, the unfiltered sunlight, the crisp winds. As I wish for more of the warmth so that I may go about freely as I please I tell myself to hold back and just enjoy the cool simplicity of a Spring breeze.
What’s changing around you? What stands out to you in your transitional haze?
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March 29, 2014
A New Day – 50 – While we wait…
No doubt this spring will feel even more extraordinary to us all after this winter. And yet we just can’t wait for it any longer. HURRY UP! What do they say though? All good things come in time? Well I’ve already told you there’s Crocus in my yard, here’s what I think are Muscari, discolored I believe due to the cold…? Let’s ask Midwestern Plant Girl!
Could be Muscari?
Muscari usually grows wild in this location and is an early spring flower.
So while I wait I’m happy to be more comfortable outside, even as bitter winds still bite my hands and cold air battles my resolve. Spring overcast skies ain’t got nothing on Polar Vortex baby! Look at the contrast of the ground around the above new growth. awfully pretty. 
As I’ve been saying for some months now, don’t let the cold get you down and blinded from the life that is going on around us. Check out some new blogs, see what other people are seeing, check my resources page or my Day 48 post for other inspiring bloggers. Go outside, look around at everything that’s ordinary, how has it changed for you? Look for what’s new. Smile that the best is yet to come. For this day I’m sharing another image of some new growth, even if I don’t know what it is & some more extraordinary ordinary: Pigeons!
Rather beautiful if you stop and give them some credit!
I was actually out looking for a local Peregrine Falcon but wound up on the wrong parking garage. I drove to the top nonetheless and remembered my brother standing there with a glass of wine on camera congratulating himself. I searched the city-scape below me for a subject. I picked a Canadian quarter up off the ground, heads up, staring back at me. Checking the date revealed the year of my brother’s birth. I knew I was in the right place, even if I still didn’t know my subject. I take some pictures of buildings with fire escapes and boarded windows, they hold some promise for a project or two, but they don’t quite fit the bill. I relocate my car to the other side of the garage’s roof. Behold the mighty Pigeon (or feathered rat)!
Look at the contrast and various patterning of their feather colors.
Show Off!!
They seemed to know just what they were doing and had no qualms about the weather, at least it didn’t show. Some of them were mottled in color and stunning. (Really! Next time you see a Pigeon shake your mind from your current understanding of them and see them for what they are and only what they are, not what you think and know.) Some of their feathers were iridescent and shown from bright light pushing through the clouds. Each one of them unique, constantly aware of the other. They seemed to dance in the air then land and flirt with each other. They were that much more interesting considering they live every day above the city and never hesitate to take to the ground or the skies! They’re everywhere, like people, yet we overlook them. Well not today folks! Look for a Pigeon, you’ll find more, and just take two seconds to admire them, Hey, they made it too. 
Back & forth they went from one place to another.
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March 28, 2014
A New Day – 49 – Through the Snow We Shall Prevail
A lot of us are feeling the pressure of winter pounding down on us. Ok, all of us. It seems the closer we get to warmer weather the more anxious we become. For some there’s still quite a bit of snow on the ground, and for a lot of us (most) there’s still a lot of cold weather we must endure. BUT I find Crocuses growing up THROUGH the snow to be pretty promising. If they can do it so can we!
Go Crocus, Grow!
Now I know this isn’t an uncommon phenomenon by any means but that doesn’t make it any less impressive. If these tiny little fragile flowers – which rabbits delight in, to every gardener’s dismay – can push through the cold snow than I think the rest of us can make it until the warm weather is here to stay. Let’s not just make it, let’s grow through and out of this!
Go outside, look around for some new growth, fragile and delicate, snap a pic and admire it.
Look a flower bud in the base!!
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March 27, 2014
A New Day – 48 – Very Inspiring Blogger Award & New Growth
Thank You Midwestern Plant Girl!
My African Violet’s First Blossom since I got it last year and repotted it. It has grown tremendously, just not flowered until now. :-)
A blogger friend of mine that I follow, The Midwestern Plant Girl, was so kind to nominate me for this award. Don’t I feel special! This is my first nomination for a blog award. Here are the Rules:
Thank the person who nominated you and add a link to their blog.
Display the award on your post.
List the award rules so your nominees will know what to do.
State 7 things about yourself.
Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award.
Contact your nominees to let them know you have nominated them. Provide a link to your post.
Proudly display the award logo (or buttons) on your blog, whether on your side bar, ABOUT page, or a special page for awards. You can search the internet for kewl banners or steal the one I made!
Blogging and having the opportunity to read what others have to share is just that, an opportunity and should not be overlooked.
7 Things about eLPy at Little Face Publications:
I am currently working on a novel and a second collection of poetry. This will be my first novel and is still very much a work in progress. I take my hat off to all other dedicated writers out there as this is no easy craft.
I’ve recently become obsessed with Orchids (and you can find some of my pictures of them throughout my posts and gallery). If I had the patience I think it would be awesome to propagate my own crosses from seed (which btw takes several years or more until any such seedlings are blooming size, thus the need for patience). Currently I have 9 and am in the process of getting my first Zygopetalum & Oncidiums. Of course I’ll post pictures when they bloom!
I assist in house remodeling projects from time to time and have taken a great liking to landscaping; with respect to landscaping I’ve assisted with a stone patio & a fish pond to name a few. In the last several years I’ve installed my own bathtub/shower, by myself; re-plumbed a basement (galvanized pipe to newer pex); learned how to use a wet-saw and cut porcelain tile; removed a fallen tree from a roof (that was fun and scary all at once); added texture to walls in a decorative fashion (was much cooler than it sounds); and a host of other things but figured I’d share a handful of random and rewarding projects I took part in. Did I mention driving a Bobcat? If only I had my own…
Birds are one of my favorite creatures and I get way too big of a kick out of seeing a bird for the first time in person! I have an 18 yr old African Grey & a 13 yr old Umbrella Cockatoo who inspire and irritate all the time!
I studied Anthropology-Zoology in college.
I once drove from Wisconsin to Utah with my dog, two parrots & a Ball Python, non-stop (except for bathroom breaks) until Colorado, at which point I had no choice but to nap. It was about 33-36 hours. While driving through Nebraska I think it was, I saw a massive comet/meteor (I’m not an astrologist, star or spaceologist! LOL). I’ve always looked back on that and said I know what it feels like to believe you just witnessed something catastrophic falling from the sky. It was bright green and fell straight down for several seconds at least and was bigger than any “falling star” I’ve ever seen to date. You can imagine it was that much more amazing being out in the middle of the plains with no other light in sight. I was pretty tired it being the middle of the night and all, yeah that woke me up.
I once interned as a zookeeper. Under my care part of the time were Gorillas, Orangutans, a pygmy Hippopotamus, Spider Monkeys, Colobus Monkeys, Golden Tamarins, & an Anteater to name a few. I had the opportunity then to feed orange juice through the bars with a cup to the Silverback (my favorite by far) and prune juice to the Orangs (fun until they tried to keep the cup, then you had to let go). Spider monkeys will grab you with their tails and monkeys can be pretty scary, especially if they were hand-raised.
I will be nominating: Bella Remy Photography sarah takes pictures Portraits of Wildflowers Samantha Pugsley the Hours Ohm Sweet Ohm Cultivating Habits Writer, Cogitator, Recovering Ranch Girl the eff stop ingaphotography It only makes sense that I my photos for this day are those of some of my houseplant new growths seeing as having my blog nominated is a form of new growth in and of itself. One is the first new blossom of my African Violet; the other, the second bud of my ‘Pink Fred’ Paphiopedilum Orchid (not all “Lady Slipper” Orchids produce more than one bloom on an individual spike); and the third image is the new growth, or new fan (spread of leaves) of my other Paph. (Lady Slipper) that I managed to save and get it back to growing!
[image error]Little Face Publications.
