tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392845014469583712024-02-19T10:43:31.465-06:00Happy Chappy GardensEricahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-82047499150325208902011-05-21T18:44:00.009-05:002011-05-21T19:35:32.777-05:00May Blooms<div style="text-align: center;">Here's what's been bloomin' in addition to the flowers from our <a href="http://happychappygardens.blogspot.com/2011/04/april-blooms.html">last post</a>:<br /><br />Mandevilla<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCi1nZHDa0D67U0rXtZ3fHgCRWwVjbUfLS-aZRh7vclSfyGDwHBTKkW7GVKxmj5-zZhjFMqcuBaW5hTl9HqjP1Tbhe6qpaR8LWu32-pnCU4pFNRcQug3VCKBjK6HR_d0nNjx5po73n4CN/s1600/P5210089.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCi1nZHDa0D67U0rXtZ3fHgCRWwVjbUfLS-aZRh7vclSfyGDwHBTKkW7GVKxmj5-zZhjFMqcuBaW5hTl9HqjP1Tbhe6qpaR8LWu32-pnCU4pFNRcQug3VCKBjK6HR_d0nNjx5po73n4CN/s320/P5210089.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609331619846352530" border="0" /></a><br />Hydrangea<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKX4TfMN3efJAMIDGBys2t5R8oQ39YbbFMWPQkCbAkFf22oPgO_H7bHX_fPo2bbJXnYaImpGZMor-2nuj1TpHXiX6hP2NGU2ex_5eiX1P5PbuYE0tBBnMTjlxsX8K8b9DkDf7LWOHHPIe/s1600/P5210095.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKX4TfMN3efJAMIDGBys2t5R8oQ39YbbFMWPQkCbAkFf22oPgO_H7bHX_fPo2bbJXnYaImpGZMor-2nuj1TpHXiX6hP2NGU2ex_5eiX1P5PbuYE0tBBnMTjlxsX8K8b9DkDf7LWOHHPIe/s320/P5210095.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609330926746370834" border="0" /></a><br />more Milkweed<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlkIKpUvNAHhlYrumwJtjeu53xJfi485fHEOHQVNsOdW7iB97vSNBeDsRW18L5VcZFe1o_H8Ak5um6uspX2z7mETj-kdW2GkCFadvGsPjzHmmjoEOI_rEMI0HfdVeG8DPZEBISaokTAm1/s1600/P5210080.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlkIKpUvNAHhlYrumwJtjeu53xJfi485fHEOHQVNsOdW7iB97vSNBeDsRW18L5VcZFe1o_H8Ak5um6uspX2z7mETj-kdW2GkCFadvGsPjzHmmjoEOI_rEMI0HfdVeG8DPZEBISaokTAm1/s320/P5210080.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609320907653213586" border="0" /></a><br />more Columbines<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDT_uDfamaB9aA3CPpvRU7KTavf2fTXADl0osQLn0qQe5s8k0HiS8dDWRr2XDLcNfkY_0cGEWFOKxvlaeZvWJlXRbWN5iVX8oYkhrpad4SoFGb4Hs0KKWwtRtiWKl6Ial3HoGn7CAQVLU5/s1600/P5210084.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDT_uDfamaB9aA3CPpvRU7KTavf2fTXADl0osQLn0qQe5s8k0HiS8dDWRr2XDLcNfkY_0cGEWFOKxvlaeZvWJlXRbWN5iVX8oYkhrpad4SoFGb4Hs0KKWwtRtiWKl6Ial3HoGn7CAQVLU5/s320/P5210084.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609320663498580162" border="0" /></a><br />Not a bloom, but beautiful nonetheless, Coleus<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyj9fwrN4xLofVSnxsH79CuN0XveskfoBbM1-Vex-76eXHwwtj9h6AnOm8WYLFXc2GvkfdSyvJ-EbqM3HyVTHWxIy-i1MmH8IAIZCoyNCK6htHYQSzb2eAn9UGlCLAFlc5u-pQwUa6Vb1/s1600/P5210086.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyj9fwrN4xLofVSnxsH79CuN0XveskfoBbM1-Vex-76eXHwwtj9h6AnOm8WYLFXc2GvkfdSyvJ-EbqM3HyVTHWxIy-i1MmH8IAIZCoyNCK6htHYQSzb2eAn9UGlCLAFlc5u-pQwUa6Vb1/s320/P5210086.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609320448876437218" border="0" /></a><br />Eupatorium<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwavp_aYWewA8ZfsA5x8xkYgH9dbj8_PhngYLTylFuQ2Ho2266C8moI0KJmWGP0M9o3q5Ag_0UrH9BB2KrHhaZ_ScqCBDeblYxnZLeBCfmtT0460CqoG3knHut4Pb0_PG1A3PXNWnBo8j8/s1600/P5210085.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwavp_aYWewA8ZfsA5x8xkYgH9dbj8_PhngYLTylFuQ2Ho2266C8moI0KJmWGP0M9o3q5Ag_0UrH9BB2KrHhaZ_ScqCBDeblYxnZLeBCfmtT0460CqoG3knHut4Pb0_PG1A3PXNWnBo8j8/s320/P5210085.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609320229983591954" border="0" /></a><br />Crossvine<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv1x4eGtc5p81BrWDqPAhfRw6RzwO4rcaZ7wEi4zrcI5B0Y3pwXd33iEtlgOc0CKSMM8CnVqlR752GQ9ZyD7p2P_eODVaLbPLohWOqnLJClljDtOcnMFMxEXvtiJ7OkLWDD6IIEJdsue9g/s1600/P5210087.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv1x4eGtc5p81BrWDqPAhfRw6RzwO4rcaZ7wEi4zrcI5B0Y3pwXd33iEtlgOc0CKSMM8CnVqlR752GQ9ZyD7p2P_eODVaLbPLohWOqnLJClljDtOcnMFMxEXvtiJ7OkLWDD6IIEJdsue9g/s320/P5210087.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609319924190107938" border="0" /></a><br />Black salvia<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6T7CcViBQjylXUGBtFYwSMRf5e7DU7asx1hK1xdNWC4tBkxu7hGzTN5FyzyhzHLSOxzmw-whdgV-k4HAmqrsjgExkofIO-vaAuwqbmyO8vAGcE1O-iDmYYodKbckNQXJUvl2zKNGtkWT/s1600/P5210091.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6T7CcViBQjylXUGBtFYwSMRf5e7DU7asx1hK1xdNWC4tBkxu7hGzTN5FyzyhzHLSOxzmw-whdgV-k4HAmqrsjgExkofIO-vaAuwqbmyO8vAGcE1O-iDmYYodKbckNQXJUvl2zKNGtkWT/s320/P5210091.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609319706448285602" border="0" /></a>Sadly, we still haven't noticed any butterflies yet!<br /></div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746324394099843101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-11364798826857567772011-04-19T09:19:00.014-05:002011-04-19T09:34:54.172-05:00April Blooms<div style="text-align: center;">Well, all of our beautiful azalea blooms are now drooping and falling to the ground. It's the end of the season and we're really going to miss those bright colors. Luckily we've still got plenty of blooms that will hopefully stick around long enough to last through our dinner party on Saturday!<br /><br />A few of these wildflowers have been popping up in the front yard. I think it's <span style="font-style: italic;">Herbertia lahue</span> of Iridaceae. If not, then it's definitely closely related!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfm4qKNGmUEH-N_sJ-ZALsYbHUdKNDZ28B2XZJEJuobiuSQNKsBv9BjLFpYiEFlPqTV84nYygO8EUPF5b6vVQr8o2NcLBzumTw8uoJX92S1oIeeqyDuBzl03EAwCbvBP6OgVo276WXNVo/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfm4qKNGmUEH-N_sJ-ZALsYbHUdKNDZ28B2XZJEJuobiuSQNKsBv9BjLFpYiEFlPqTV84nYygO8EUPF5b6vVQr8o2NcLBzumTw8uoJX92S1oIeeqyDuBzl03EAwCbvBP6OgVo276WXNVo/s400/DSC_0003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597299985337147906" border="0" /></a>Blackberry bushes - we didn't do any pollinating so we didn't end up collecting any berries!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXp9tBbZ2NCcvN9adQ-gwe0-wzzdASJ0aQgUUpPGDenvorPVpbuNZ9uE_G3oH-5Wf4sIJ2Vc6JzZITYB9tneQ-9WumTzDY7cxHKDeGQ175dPK7gr_FCk_bfk2z6XezfeHAdwa_5s2tyTQ/s1600/DSC_0007.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXp9tBbZ2NCcvN9adQ-gwe0-wzzdASJ0aQgUUpPGDenvorPVpbuNZ9uE_G3oH-5Wf4sIJ2Vc6JzZITYB9tneQ-9WumTzDY7cxHKDeGQ175dPK7gr_FCk_bfk2z6XezfeHAdwa_5s2tyTQ/s400/DSC_0007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597299938603178898" border="0" /></a>Hanging baskets.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKg4pGrtdetjJo4TnMDwQlRGLGO_DVWn9AGBwzEkGBLGUdn0-P1crSaCR6Nd7ii5wzFF_5Oop4uL6QeAlIPzdmfxmNw_vG_dS03leEdupqVMQxwZt4VphF6mqUBZ_cteWeWh0LURjy3aDZ/s1600/DSC_0009.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKg4pGrtdetjJo4TnMDwQlRGLGO_DVWn9AGBwzEkGBLGUdn0-P1crSaCR6Nd7ii5wzFF_5Oop4uL6QeAlIPzdmfxmNw_vG_dS03leEdupqVMQxwZt4VphF6mqUBZ_cteWeWh0LURjy3aDZ/s400/DSC_0009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597299886944865938" border="0" /></a>Pretty petunias. (I think!)<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_jYEYLJXDEqNdFK8FqH7AODGuCxJvGdrK3HSUa9ZP7I_30JaW9O2R25eQfZDufLeFu6Xr2EM8kew2Yfz20jKVAYNTx8hGJlt9ZZim3jCFx_NhxvOGatG1Qf7RJtLteLUiPIPgBmE66go0/s1600/DSC_0010.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_jYEYLJXDEqNdFK8FqH7AODGuCxJvGdrK3HSUa9ZP7I_30JaW9O2R25eQfZDufLeFu6Xr2EM8kew2Yfz20jKVAYNTx8hGJlt9ZZim3jCFx_NhxvOGatG1Qf7RJtLteLUiPIPgBmE66go0/s400/DSC_0010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597299826022350370" border="0" /></a>The Butterfly Garden -<br /><br />Milkweed<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO96Itjf4ev9tjeb5Hzoi6Lni0GqIeXdfDnBdvCF5frG_b0MG4HHr4P-DLFWBlIFJqWBsP41JtxxV-qByI7rTtkRV2sHzmXPlGMKijW_c85Mjj5d2mnt1YU6FiR1c2C0j-3tN7Ap4yjlAZ/s1600/DSC_0020.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO96Itjf4ev9tjeb5Hzoi6Lni0GqIeXdfDnBdvCF5frG_b0MG4HHr4P-DLFWBlIFJqWBsP41JtxxV-qByI7rTtkRV2sHzmXPlGMKijW_c85Mjj5d2mnt1YU6FiR1c2C0j-3tN7Ap4yjlAZ/s400/DSC_0020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597299767938424562" border="0" /></a>Salvia<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRnuW-RYTM757mSMfseKurdMmsUR2iM2CndaML8ngXXHe3HiwgrS-qJ3IbFuR-L4ywh2esgg_BEHwdFbDksj35oiXYjQ6z3_bo88RLZi-kumD8Uikr2EBHF206oowOWcYO77eLloc0U4J/s1600/DSC_0023.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRnuW-RYTM757mSMfseKurdMmsUR2iM2CndaML8ngXXHe3HiwgrS-qJ3IbFuR-L4ywh2esgg_BEHwdFbDksj35oiXYjQ6z3_bo88RLZi-kumD8Uikr2EBHF206oowOWcYO77eLloc0U4J/s400/DSC_0023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597299710690581218" border="0" /></a>Columbine<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6L2iRlW-s3L6u6zMca-F9mtSOtAEUI1H6Thepk6yS8UVqYwA_fEiu6J9xEvje-Li2ixakCtSwSJPQUdpNTzkXTxdpAkmh9beh5EkSTOwZn_SK4Ht2WXOfF7JrZpWj0tTzRXw_vRzX320g/s1600/DSC_0026.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6L2iRlW-s3L6u6zMca-F9mtSOtAEUI1H6Thepk6yS8UVqYwA_fEiu6J9xEvje-Li2ixakCtSwSJPQUdpNTzkXTxdpAkmh9beh5EkSTOwZn_SK4Ht2WXOfF7JrZpWj0tTzRXw_vRzX320g/s400/DSC_0026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597299658956041682" border="0" /></a>Snapdragon<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8L4M9lNNvm6c57pSsLuxMFG78s09aMPU9nB9crJVd8ekdSaSjFMaxqTJnEmDhldKhUmzTyJ4BruxGDMzU9TSSWlE7Blsi3lwhFMXSZTuQBTGlLriogHC6_wQjnWfjWu-RZyqMC_gwyNJ7/s1600/DSC_0028.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8L4M9lNNvm6c57pSsLuxMFG78s09aMPU9nB9crJVd8ekdSaSjFMaxqTJnEmDhldKhUmzTyJ4BruxGDMzU9TSSWlE7Blsi3lwhFMXSZTuQBTGlLriogHC6_wQjnWfjWu-RZyqMC_gwyNJ7/s400/DSC_0028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597299600660778306" border="0" /></a>Star Jasmine<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvFwIFd65M-eHfY4d4AFfUOaBGzS_OtsGT_2g8wp2fumg6csHjm5VjL73_i5VAShPVl58d_XdVBQSXthFnlMs3UMQvttrCGVWBFsr5rDRnQ3C6s-SIQ45aPGkOCnzi8GeCHvG7HY1oYzLB/s1600/DSC_0029.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvFwIFd65M-eHfY4d4AFfUOaBGzS_OtsGT_2g8wp2fumg6csHjm5VjL73_i5VAShPVl58d_XdVBQSXthFnlMs3UMQvttrCGVWBFsr5rDRnQ3C6s-SIQ45aPGkOCnzi8GeCHvG7HY1oYzLB/s400/DSC_0029.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597299546996464626" border="0" /></a>Decor<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkj3iYceVKO8xstGngKL2DgmSUVPrnnOqfU4s-LKc2d9Dra3cNyqJ9HJfusuFLZ5eqodJlezQNIcAh-m3EpsTlgnprrBNQhgJ4GuVik4tOxA-Ry_fBHckshLBJghgSV4cn33zC86FLKRK6/s1600/DSC_0032.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkj3iYceVKO8xstGngKL2DgmSUVPrnnOqfU4s-LKc2d9Dra3cNyqJ9HJfusuFLZ5eqodJlezQNIcAh-m3EpsTlgnprrBNQhgJ4GuVik4tOxA-Ry_fBHckshLBJghgSV4cn33zC86FLKRK6/s400/DSC_0032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597299462991947650" border="0" /></a>Happy Kitty - Halifax enjoys hanging out in the garden.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdR86iz-fpGy5cbWw-QQw0X8Tez8sFT5O805Z-YJoSb3xkT4bHJdNLqAPh292fdJ2QspfyWBPYvULvTZUX0AIwz227Bd7UoI_YYEJLORGEVfFOedXogKc2Pt9bNNKk7X881TOiehj3izNM/s1600/DSC_0035.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdR86iz-fpGy5cbWw-QQw0X8Tez8sFT5O805Z-YJoSb3xkT4bHJdNLqAPh292fdJ2QspfyWBPYvULvTZUX0AIwz227Bd7UoI_YYEJLORGEVfFOedXogKc2Pt9bNNKk7X881TOiehj3izNM/s400/DSC_0035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597299403825985906" border="0" /></a>Not everything has flowered yet so stay tuned for future blooms!<br /></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-22408763206235495642011-04-02T19:49:00.019-05:002011-04-02T20:36:29.009-05:00March GardeningWhile we're taking a break from working on the kitchen, we've been doing a bit of gardeing since spring is here.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSM665S9sMAzpbUbi45_VOF0uvU78WHqJQv1XlwD9IS0Uv6e7ROqJEDx8jmOhXJTYnImGfY4BI45FRmreUQt6Lf6cgxGVE7ofCzGqEabnSa6nc3C6lvt24kAe9L22SXgpdwnqYnacy_QYa/s1600/BGarden1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSM665S9sMAzpbUbi45_VOF0uvU78WHqJQv1XlwD9IS0Uv6e7ROqJEDx8jmOhXJTYnImGfY4BI45FRmreUQt6Lf6cgxGVE7ofCzGqEabnSa6nc3C6lvt24kAe9L22SXgpdwnqYnacy_QYa/s320/BGarden1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591159429872792770" border="0" /></a><br />This is the butterfly garden by the back porch at the beginning of the year, taken over by weeds.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRR_Xf0yBCU8J8w2_9YtOSNUfcnNFpbjNxcnDk7WsUPJ6bV0flYFOQoxuptk0rH7-ScZV01mDazWIfxew39-51ZMrt1dAqCaKV6OQkQPxy-ETk-8ADj77V8avD7f6lrkJGMhpXXbiRoeA/s1600/BGarden2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRR_Xf0yBCU8J8w2_9YtOSNUfcnNFpbjNxcnDk7WsUPJ6bV0flYFOQoxuptk0rH7-ScZV01mDazWIfxew39-51ZMrt1dAqCaKV6OQkQPxy-ETk-8ADj77V8avD7f6lrkJGMhpXXbiRoeA/s320/BGarden2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591158809539279858" border="0" /></a><br />After Erica spent all day weeding, we found out that most of the plants we had planted last year were still hanging around, fighting the good fight against the encroaching invaders. We also picked up some trellises that were on sale at hobby Lobby.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qNwQMxf4gJHeTdhcEhMnADWLUSoIy60gST8-TuhnFvIi_XhePtYMvv2rKx0bcOlLFQkz9aPjl26A4p6HYNcqkF9YmS0hdaFmXDNxGXkqv17_EErNrt4gQl7DSEoHiSoXmXIRl65y5Xfk/s1600/BGarden3.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qNwQMxf4gJHeTdhcEhMnADWLUSoIy60gST8-TuhnFvIi_XhePtYMvv2rKx0bcOlLFQkz9aPjl26A4p6HYNcqkF9YmS0hdaFmXDNxGXkqv17_EErNrt4gQl7DSEoHiSoXmXIRl65y5Xfk/s320/BGarden3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591158533826549186" border="0" /></a><br />Mandevilla, Purple Passion Vine, Carolina Jessamine, Red passion Vine, and Cross vine now populate the trellises. We also mulched to hold the weeds off a bit.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Xtm4Zap07ba5RdLH4QJZxS5XLLgemmfL43ZOu5ITiV_Qx2QtlnLAnNNv8N0C4wyHBvXvOilZF15z_UpH-OREsxLU96S3JDv0B5Q7t5Jk9t1H1__1tCggUN3yiTA7G1sCIN2-Ogf-77Ah/s1600/BGarden4a.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Xtm4Zap07ba5RdLH4QJZxS5XLLgemmfL43ZOu5ITiV_Qx2QtlnLAnNNv8N0C4wyHBvXvOilZF15z_UpH-OREsxLU96S3JDv0B5Q7t5Jk9t1H1__1tCggUN3yiTA7G1sCIN2-Ogf-77Ah/s320/BGarden4a.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591158255277885122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVQJzUpMAgYXiQktHX1OIb-bGBzl1YEdGOgHV4xprm-QAUmzrvlmZDcLQp1MVbfWHPU7qN6KkEmUxtr6G-ZfYtH7WVRT3MiraE4-WV6TpNk1YommKTl0DTIL6XA9V0goNXe3QeD1hdixj/s1600/BGarden4b.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVQJzUpMAgYXiQktHX1OIb-bGBzl1YEdGOgHV4xprm-QAUmzrvlmZDcLQp1MVbfWHPU7qN6KkEmUxtr6G-ZfYtH7WVRT3MiraE4-WV6TpNk1YommKTl0DTIL6XA9V0goNXe3QeD1hdixj/s320/BGarden4b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591158020397784642" border="0" /></a><br />Unfortunately, our dogs decided to dig up one of the purple passion vines, but Trey gave us an Aristolochia to replace it.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfbaJ8Xyb82JqnkzM-sn334SrqQm93X0lgKAWdUYS_iLN_1NnueJSmA0KpN700iOmGlrlvH7t3lHOnwvznUnf1g9q_Q2I1pYGarVQWfBKmrNL0cFjOP6y7vbM_-VfV5eEqDUMSn3geDjq/s1600/BGarden5.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfbaJ8Xyb82JqnkzM-sn334SrqQm93X0lgKAWdUYS_iLN_1NnueJSmA0KpN700iOmGlrlvH7t3lHOnwvznUnf1g9q_Q2I1pYGarVQWfBKmrNL0cFjOP6y7vbM_-VfV5eEqDUMSn3geDjq/s320/BGarden5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591157724627366274" border="0" /></a>Fuschia is pretty<br /><br /><br />Now some pictures of the front yard. I'm not going to talk about them too much, but Erica's been working on moving the hedges and azaleas around. We also picked up some Persian Shields and some other things. Anyways,<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4gwnoiJFPhvQrAlfIG4MINWqxwsbJ0MaV4Rt7_V2ITitWscFBb4N-BsaazWFBY5DB2Sdxm3tTKWHuq84qGbMSpDlFrE-BLctSubkXJFbou9hYVNzKSDC1YUUzk4yCvvfWT0DkM_VhOt0/s1600/DSC_0344.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4gwnoiJFPhvQrAlfIG4MINWqxwsbJ0MaV4Rt7_V2ITitWscFBb4N-BsaazWFBY5DB2Sdxm3tTKWHuq84qGbMSpDlFrE-BLctSubkXJFbou9hYVNzKSDC1YUUzk4yCvvfWT0DkM_VhOt0/s320/DSC_0344.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591157505476103314" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqiygMAkiUX6O9dNl7_Ez3ByCz2jl9muq_t4M8N4EoZfCaBX4mTafXwhRsN8iyOSWsXhyphenhyphen3LfKFlpHtZQp3tG-tEnmkvYoiTgb_zZWpnxUKncbWRiW2hrX4xafmu7aQozXQ8O89wmNSt_8S/s1600/DSC_0346.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqiygMAkiUX6O9dNl7_Ez3ByCz2jl9muq_t4M8N4EoZfCaBX4mTafXwhRsN8iyOSWsXhyphenhyphen3LfKFlpHtZQp3tG-tEnmkvYoiTgb_zZWpnxUKncbWRiW2hrX4xafmu7aQozXQ8O89wmNSt_8S/s320/DSC_0346.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591157241147975826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRxu9blXMuoBAyv9eglAjuTBMJufm4iPWpXPiHL18P-G3aSKuurntjQmKD5xI8udpyOagbPM3qwA1bgRxTHxxh_Yyn-HTxOr56LfpMFmnkBcgV0NR0H2oyrm-gUELLUiOaFzTdebcckw8/s1600/Front1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRxu9blXMuoBAyv9eglAjuTBMJufm4iPWpXPiHL18P-G3aSKuurntjQmKD5xI8udpyOagbPM3qwA1bgRxTHxxh_Yyn-HTxOr56LfpMFmnkBcgV0NR0H2oyrm-gUELLUiOaFzTdebcckw8/s320/Front1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591156324039167426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7V5hE1wMic09ML1__y6kqXbJQXora9L2_dm_THZJK_UQ6Y6oxY88hiFtJEnumBKINbdTRWfHML68vDXlQ-pMDanMrhDeJUoGUpG03mVK0qaCa0ThNCS2ZhPq1BP3kw-R7unBIvrziNmK/s1600/Front2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7V5hE1wMic09ML1__y6kqXbJQXora9L2_dm_THZJK_UQ6Y6oxY88hiFtJEnumBKINbdTRWfHML68vDXlQ-pMDanMrhDeJUoGUpG03mVK0qaCa0ThNCS2ZhPq1BP3kw-R7unBIvrziNmK/s320/Front2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591156064233988658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LcXj689x07V1CgN5tqoZqnCwGdtUbr10MwcW0zMrtkICSIEWiBgxCFO2ZW4GSCmIHGNg6gVxPZrnIOjOk3y1xJn2dH6QeGF_tFKSIX8aNGaK63e5loXQtWnaIVF1yPD9H22yBDppTvve/s1600/Front9.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LcXj689x07V1CgN5tqoZqnCwGdtUbr10MwcW0zMrtkICSIEWiBgxCFO2ZW4GSCmIHGNg6gVxPZrnIOjOk3y1xJn2dH6QeGF_tFKSIX8aNGaK63e5loXQtWnaIVF1yPD9H22yBDppTvve/s320/Front9.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591155714343640018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHTl30KxcF77ORhaz3sO42A0sCSeZzFCn2zzsj6tpuJk_b8QS9JurJV6Qj7llkVdyy0WGby5KL8dp3e7tP-UcCf7Xvc-mQN-4L7B-GG5gjW4nLbME8bsLQMDHs0Q1toutwtoYBm4AKt-z/s1600/Front10.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHTl30KxcF77ORhaz3sO42A0sCSeZzFCn2zzsj6tpuJk_b8QS9JurJV6Qj7llkVdyy0WGby5KL8dp3e7tP-UcCf7Xvc-mQN-4L7B-GG5gjW4nLbME8bsLQMDHs0Q1toutwtoYBm4AKt-z/s320/Front10.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591155511490283218" border="0" /></a><br />The Japanese Maples are also doing very well...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_bPnVvwUtaeRemV63BaF8J_Y2H8gNoTTzD0MkQfTg3MZ3u5R36stQI3FQOIlLoGdYoELTPZFo6OVxA1StbbN3iZwA3tNBvZgl6yNNnCOl6ayqPsCwRAuTT25WjsJis5SP1S1NCpvwNEg1/s1600/Jap1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_bPnVvwUtaeRemV63BaF8J_Y2H8gNoTTzD0MkQfTg3MZ3u5R36stQI3FQOIlLoGdYoELTPZFo6OVxA1StbbN3iZwA3tNBvZgl6yNNnCOl6ayqPsCwRAuTT25WjsJis5SP1S1NCpvwNEg1/s320/Jap1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591155283224684450" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfBhJkHlWWXncPRyPP6WxRJ1bYT9a05ND44Hkt7pCIbAD1bh-tTABT-9crh_Mi3ctrYpcMNWLBsqG_lx7IGOoEqSPceyj5C9EJ1Ofpxkp8cjzueBocRwlvpy9Ehb-6-VM2ROMCExgIjlv/s1600/Jap3.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfBhJkHlWWXncPRyPP6WxRJ1bYT9a05ND44Hkt7pCIbAD1bh-tTABT-9crh_Mi3ctrYpcMNWLBsqG_lx7IGOoEqSPceyj5C9EJ1Ofpxkp8cjzueBocRwlvpy9Ehb-6-VM2ROMCExgIjlv/s320/Jap3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591155017995586658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGIseuHxwkhAYWk8UC-YlhcO8T31dZahl8eRLdNrFEjocVHqCk8gOw71LLPt4V6HRzYJ2dPWVWGxZ9FO7gRz7MYONSqWZDjJ_pnERo19XDypM7WIjih92sG2CsxBcI_KwBIVGJ4jqaFpR/s1600/Jap5.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGIseuHxwkhAYWk8UC-YlhcO8T31dZahl8eRLdNrFEjocVHqCk8gOw71LLPt4V6HRzYJ2dPWVWGxZ9FO7gRz7MYONSqWZDjJ_pnERo19XDypM7WIjih92sG2CsxBcI_KwBIVGJ4jqaFpR/s320/Jap5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591154709094670738" border="0" /></a><br />So... as we continue to work, the yard will come even more into focus. This time next year, I'm hoping to have most of the heavy work done, and we can spend our time enjoying all the hard work.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11746324394099843101noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-89844444852310763462010-12-09T09:00:00.000-06:002010-12-09T09:00:06.772-06:00Gulf Fritillary<div style="text-align: center;">While doing some of the last pumpkin and jalapeño harvesting for the season, I happened upon this little caterpillar on some of our passion vine. It's a Gulf Fritillary!<br /><br />Gulf Fritillary larvae feed exclusively on passionflower species.<br /><br />(Click photos to enlarge)<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06cQupE8dK4g4Bazu5o5laCStf3XJh2t3_PjYTvNXh7NXF3QkabZhzYwOf5PEYH0gWfmisPG7JigabptlTdE0cH8JX0LJMzJUqxwR40lFKM2viIY8qFX83v1GRuwr-J25ec1dHQ_bjMFY/s1600/DSC_0500.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06cQupE8dK4g4Bazu5o5laCStf3XJh2t3_PjYTvNXh7NXF3QkabZhzYwOf5PEYH0gWfmisPG7JigabptlTdE0cH8JX0LJMzJUqxwR40lFKM2viIY8qFX83v1GRuwr-J25ec1dHQ_bjMFY/s400/DSC_0500.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546935290878912306" border="0" /></a><i>Agraulis vanillae</i><br /><br />The next two photos were taken by our friend Trey who has some pretty awesome gardens of his own. He has been able to photograph the Gulf Fritillary at some later stages in its life cycle.<br /><br />Gulf Fritillary chrysalis -<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVXRFnGvGNylBL_0li02wxhVmgjnHJpDlqf0NhhzYbxqcqYUuRpG5T8VgswwR4izRANTNQif_n44vbGYQVculCHcouYNeIwF_IYaivkqCVvEBXM9JHI1JDlk0Dezo2tJI6wuuQHQ_RD9sa/s1600/Gulf+Fritillary+-+chrysalis.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVXRFnGvGNylBL_0li02wxhVmgjnHJpDlqf0NhhzYbxqcqYUuRpG5T8VgswwR4izRANTNQif_n44vbGYQVculCHcouYNeIwF_IYaivkqCVvEBXM9JHI1JDlk0Dezo2tJI6wuuQHQ_RD9sa/s400/Gulf+Fritillary+-+chrysalis.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546928707692922434" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Gulf Fritillary butterfly -<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpAZQFyBhZiZTazPwL3hk38cucw0yYgYlnJuwMVVq_T8gyGbYNn5saqkf4qYL6p81X2ht5ONC3TVe78GaMhUDqmQPnrmRzPbPWrII5hc_zxu2_Smv79VOFCGloWftDiuaKFgl9WoscbKK/s1600/TP02.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 338px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpAZQFyBhZiZTazPwL3hk38cucw0yYgYlnJuwMVVq_T8gyGbYNn5saqkf4qYL6p81X2ht5ONC3TVe78GaMhUDqmQPnrmRzPbPWrII5hc_zxu2_Smv79VOFCGloWftDiuaKFgl9WoscbKK/s400/TP02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546927493296116642" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The Gulf Fritillary is one of the few butterflies I actually know how to identify. It gets its name from its migration route over the Gulf of Mexico.<br /></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-64638754002021269292010-12-08T09:00:00.002-06:002010-12-08T09:00:04.860-06:00Jalapeño Harvest<div style="text-align: center;">On Saturday we went out and cut 29 jalapeños from our tiny little jalapeño plant.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNAI1a-s9ZT9_-s2WtbaiaO7Lb1wSKZEF_QMHK9K1LTgGMan7Y0FT1vObLS2vyTD-cz9qy5rE2c9krWoznCwx_N33i5ZBuiP9dAtxh7ukGWW1u6ZsOVif1hv1zZlUEpHB2ZvPjE1ZVN1Gf/s1600/DSC_0497.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNAI1a-s9ZT9_-s2WtbaiaO7Lb1wSKZEF_QMHK9K1LTgGMan7Y0FT1vObLS2vyTD-cz9qy5rE2c9krWoznCwx_N33i5ZBuiP9dAtxh7ukGWW1u6ZsOVif1hv1zZlUEpHB2ZvPjE1ZVN1Gf/s400/DSC_0497.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546921995579564466" border="0" /></a>Awesome!<br /></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-2444409774591866372010-12-07T09:00:00.002-06:002010-12-07T09:00:04.106-06:00Butterfly Garden<div style="text-align: center;">Blooming right now in the butterfly garden -<br />Hummingbird Mint<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwnAjc7j2B-Ey8Ls9NfGFukar_T17beFmFFpyIhdMvu4Q4hhfo5qQL0IU9dQvQf9uJiOm1WAX6g99_jC1L-TnM5ZEGhh8BlMooDIHNbDnU6_OxvYi7LgGGmAjGjg52kE7PdH8SCrxIAKo/s1600/DSC_0370.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwnAjc7j2B-Ey8Ls9NfGFukar_T17beFmFFpyIhdMvu4Q4hhfo5qQL0IU9dQvQf9uJiOm1WAX6g99_jC1L-TnM5ZEGhh8BlMooDIHNbDnU6_OxvYi7LgGGmAjGjg52kE7PdH8SCrxIAKo/s400/DSC_0370.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546628772949637970" border="0" /></a><br />Milkweed<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BWeFoyc4pseL656Gd1wC8bwjiSLCVUzsj9mj2gssM9Dtd3O9sjUF-3Ub26ID3xilO-09ede1sk0m7Sl38VPesVr2X_ctIrfpuBIPW9W4fFLa7JM9AO8kG16ekbVZK6rNC1amDbL9LF1t/s1600/DSC_0373.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BWeFoyc4pseL656Gd1wC8bwjiSLCVUzsj9mj2gssM9Dtd3O9sjUF-3Ub26ID3xilO-09ede1sk0m7Sl38VPesVr2X_ctIrfpuBIPW9W4fFLa7JM9AO8kG16ekbVZK6rNC1amDbL9LF1t/s400/DSC_0373.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546628769932660402" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-64339866667430670492010-12-03T18:20:00.002-06:002010-12-03T18:25:17.145-06:00Pumpkin Pride<div style="text-align: center;">We have harvested six little pumpkins and are still waiting on a few more to mature.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtUAUQne4MxiVrqHUEME0TqXFc5xJ_C6NKUHTqFTarHynfOlzxkKARJFVFv_y4p5Sf26EPsLMuYNC9s5OGPjUcqfzaqcd_tvrO35tmhztIUqf1n0v4hUYDe02SKI4A4F659ep0l7EdxFMF/s1600/DSC_0460.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtUAUQne4MxiVrqHUEME0TqXFc5xJ_C6NKUHTqFTarHynfOlzxkKARJFVFv_y4p5Sf26EPsLMuYNC9s5OGPjUcqfzaqcd_tvrO35tmhztIUqf1n0v4hUYDe02SKI4A4F659ep0l7EdxFMF/s400/DSC_0460.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546615898491471282" border="0" /></a>So proud.<br />We were supposed to bring some with us to Thanksgiving but we forgot!<br />Let us know if you want one!<br /></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-85620835471460696922010-11-12T09:00:00.001-06:002010-11-12T11:03:52.943-06:00Downtown Beauty<div align="center">This is a beautiful garden in downtown Nacogdoches - I think just outside of the office of a landscaping firm. It's mostly a bunch of different Coleus.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4EYJUA39eb6hhqyM2w8Vdyi6r2sh8DA2RAsOX_RlEu9CdmS7ATP-xeEnkpLnXDjZIUZYu2LR75T-wv-Jv6kkXer4w0gTfJjUwenBkiv6GwjuJ5rvAKM1b9duD30ztq-b20qgKeSp9A6Qp/s1600/DSC_0271.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514327224541360034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4EYJUA39eb6hhqyM2w8Vdyi6r2sh8DA2RAsOX_RlEu9CdmS7ATP-xeEnkpLnXDjZIUZYu2LR75T-wv-Jv6kkXer4w0gTfJjUwenBkiv6GwjuJ5rvAKM1b9duD30ztq-b20qgKeSp9A6Qp/s400/DSC_0271.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a>I've decided that I want to plant some Coleus. I just don't know where I would put it.<br /></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgwmAavLzUe11zxf5vTH6_zhbr46U63Z9Y6nThG5VnDJWd0LMtESCuuBbJBgAs9QEBWpqgK_oKTA6cvVWdHZbiIjwGesgnIE_QlwlNasCNmmOq_c4wTWOeqEmhKrLFujv_gz6PLWaNphM/s1600/DSC_0274.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514327460373093394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgwmAavLzUe11zxf5vTH6_zhbr46U63Z9Y6nThG5VnDJWd0LMtESCuuBbJBgAs9QEBWpqgK_oKTA6cvVWdHZbiIjwGesgnIE_QlwlNasCNmmOq_c4wTWOeqEmhKrLFujv_gz6PLWaNphM/s400/DSC_0274.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center">Maybe right next to the house; bricks and colorful leaves seem to go well together.</p>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-1804467536303410742010-10-21T09:00:00.001-05:002010-10-21T09:00:04.108-05:00Pocket GopherA few weeks ago Halifax (the Demon Kitty of Burk Street) brought to our attention the fact that not only do we have moles in the yard, we've also got pocket gophers. Here's a little gift the cat left for us next to the patio-<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTQQpjvH0dZ71z096szoBpMRlWZ_MEE61L4VxdRPm-Hiu1L2Lbqknzt2CWcCBf-j0jX-14QvT1O8kgKNnMwh2LrmToWk28cSi9lwTblW9NmipRvLOkJa0DHMHvFvXazGqDoGZUGmJv1pe/s1600/pocket+gopher.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTQQpjvH0dZ71z096szoBpMRlWZ_MEE61L4VxdRPm-Hiu1L2Lbqknzt2CWcCBf-j0jX-14QvT1O8kgKNnMwh2LrmToWk28cSi9lwTblW9NmipRvLOkJa0DHMHvFvXazGqDoGZUGmJv1pe/s400/pocket+gopher.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529047983366651330" border="0" /></a><br />Thanks, Halifax<br />...I think...<br /></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-6493744210489088422010-10-20T09:00:00.002-05:002010-10-20T09:00:04.474-05:00Watermelon!We planted watermelon when we first built our vegetable garden. Our vines had been doing great the whole while, but they never produced! I thought about turning under the vines or composting them and planting something more productive but that seemed like such a waste! We know these vines can last a while, so we thought we might just keep them around and see what happens. I started taking a Q-tip to the flowers when we started Q-tipping our pumpkin flowers.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ENS7XIkQPmNWDw9ttCWdH8d13M4lwprMbEW0ARr8Q-deqd8J3RlNGgBCOV2HiX54rR3zwJyhbbIJXsNRS-090RLevKx7He9xiiBWulfA3dyACjzA6YT1d0E8WAYRQYKgzDcC6gxnhMPM/s1600/DSC_0326.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ENS7XIkQPmNWDw9ttCWdH8d13M4lwprMbEW0ARr8Q-deqd8J3RlNGgBCOV2HiX54rR3zwJyhbbIJXsNRS-090RLevKx7He9xiiBWulfA3dyACjzA6YT1d0E8WAYRQYKgzDcC6gxnhMPM/s400/DSC_0326.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514318611745245618" border="0" /></a>Q-tipping the flowers totally worked! Here are two itty bitty watermelons.<br />(Dimly circled, click to enlarge)<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBz1BH3016vZRD3YlDzZO2KMSVGV59usdXmeGMCAhwmnNCtVWEjQ94700VS5Zy3HUVOh6kIUjopZdrS_IoyfvBBEb-ULtnjPvQDD2WtEAWSQX7xocAbwM2l4ggp9wczkNb4G6gDL2Hdgb7/s1600/itty_bitty_watermelon.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBz1BH3016vZRD3YlDzZO2KMSVGV59usdXmeGMCAhwmnNCtVWEjQ94700VS5Zy3HUVOh6kIUjopZdrS_IoyfvBBEb-ULtnjPvQDD2WtEAWSQX7xocAbwM2l4ggp9wczkNb4G6gDL2Hdgb7/s400/itty_bitty_watermelon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529051329385932530" border="0" /></a>And here's a bigger one-<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmg0LHInslRSxjVtq59ojA_gxMk-2ZYlSmwTMaJMSjMhXEWN7qkxfvxxkMT4BAWEZSV6VyToR1y7Prk_rb9DT8AzlDaiEOLbFyzynafi4A6nS4hANH_naOQOmk59Eb-G9x0wC1jEoDUdDV/s1600/DSC_0126.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmg0LHInslRSxjVtq59ojA_gxMk-2ZYlSmwTMaJMSjMhXEWN7qkxfvxxkMT4BAWEZSV6VyToR1y7Prk_rb9DT8AzlDaiEOLbFyzynafi4A6nS4hANH_naOQOmk59Eb-G9x0wC1jEoDUdDV/s400/DSC_0126.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529050943188430658" border="0" /></a>And here's a whopper!<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrx41QfMMpMkyqrtfjM9OsrOjhlMPNpe2HbNOiKK3aDaeoikA1eJhKbU9hSMoiy0CU2rlgLWBG9x3BrMTbFweGfGVfPwtZH-WQeAPUimS2OpO-DQ0Bz672a9J7BWfgYLHg6DdSgjh9OzY/s1600/watermelon.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrx41QfMMpMkyqrtfjM9OsrOjhlMPNpe2HbNOiKK3aDaeoikA1eJhKbU9hSMoiy0CU2rlgLWBG9x3BrMTbFweGfGVfPwtZH-WQeAPUimS2OpO-DQ0Bz672a9J7BWfgYLHg6DdSgjh9OzY/s400/watermelon.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529967324143568146" border="0" /></a>Guess it pays off to add just a little bit of help. We don't see too many bees in the yard, so that may be why we're having to pollinate these plants ourselves. Weird, because there's a ton of lantana growing right next to our garden and our jalapeno has been doing great without our help. Picky pollinators, I guess. Keep checking back for updates as these little guys grow! We've noticed three little guys so far but there are over 20 flowers on the plant so we expect to see many more!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-7973806704616005112010-10-19T09:00:00.001-05:002010-10-19T09:00:01.087-05:00Baby Pumpkins!<div style="text-align: center;">Heck. Yeah.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoaomSJ4yUWfKiKo1NeWY9yw9C-FYwGthDLeb3auq1gfPL3DHYratpz9sOgr2VyNPM9R7C3iZPy1-timS4EKBr0_Sepqd3itcmm5VEH_6gAj6aR-_7fYRoJU7aTG8oOglL653hyphenhyphen04rPfs/s1600/pumpkin2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoaomSJ4yUWfKiKo1NeWY9yw9C-FYwGthDLeb3auq1gfPL3DHYratpz9sOgr2VyNPM9R7C3iZPy1-timS4EKBr0_Sepqd3itcmm5VEH_6gAj6aR-_7fYRoJU7aTG8oOglL653hyphenhyphen04rPfs/s400/pumpkin2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529058760306420754" border="0" /></a>We are SO doing this again next year!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndicJrYwnEygYnPIUVrnL_IGcPdWi9xNG_mS_FV-WjtqSVvNwlF2c3m0QCYfZSAtRVLQQavY3k3Ekwybb6JsIlB6BNmzpyM-Ne7rPDdqh3MuNh_CX9cS3zlMOTwtCvrou2sN5aUX1RKdE/s1600/pumpkin1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndicJrYwnEygYnPIUVrnL_IGcPdWi9xNG_mS_FV-WjtqSVvNwlF2c3m0QCYfZSAtRVLQQavY3k3Ekwybb6JsIlB6BNmzpyM-Ne7rPDdqh3MuNh_CX9cS3zlMOTwtCvrou2sN5aUX1RKdE/s400/pumpkin1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529058750697597506" border="0" /></a>John thinks we *just* might have a full-grown Mini Jack in time for Halloween.<br /></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-72287143989567808642010-10-18T09:00:00.001-05:002010-10-18T09:00:07.564-05:00Baby Jalapeno BoomAbout two weeks ago our friend Travis stopped by to see all of our landscaping and gardening work. When we took him to see our vegetable garden and showed him the jalapeno plant and he said, "Jalapeno? At <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> time of year?" Psssht. He didn't know what he was talking about. (Personally, I think that's the case a lot of the time...)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, since he said that, we've been watching FIVE jalapenos get bigger and bigger on our plant!<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVn1PFfv-4ueAnqV0V5_9Fj13afa53oG0OvkN1cH___zzhSuZukPiVr9V-ZWjx7OM8tgOJ-lHk6Ms6YaJp6WJE5LxXz5ShDFkYULJxMNdU_bSV89K9pGMBJAWvmc1SEhTdCVNsv87j0Ue/s1600/j1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVn1PFfv-4ueAnqV0V5_9Fj13afa53oG0OvkN1cH___zzhSuZukPiVr9V-ZWjx7OM8tgOJ-lHk6Ms6YaJp6WJE5LxXz5ShDFkYULJxMNdU_bSV89K9pGMBJAWvmc1SEhTdCVNsv87j0Ue/s400/j1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527701728919961906" border="0" /></a><br />This makes the jalapeno one of our more productive plants, right alongside the cucumbers. The difference is that our jalapeno plant is still here and doing great while our cucumber vines have all died off. I expect that our jalapeno plant will end up being one of our more worthwhile purchases, at a whopping $1.50 this past spring.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZ57Tq0OKGqn1r8PctyjUc2W5_WOT2afLWUE6aKturEI29bn2yFPU1RitaaNT1oI5_1z5sBaxd6UeqqPhyphenhyphenmg_hVVT25SBupeDCkQ1XdezAfgm9Oz51YXRb2eKDs2R_CE9fZ6AgWa7jZtP/s1600/j2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZ57Tq0OKGqn1r8PctyjUc2W5_WOT2afLWUE6aKturEI29bn2yFPU1RitaaNT1oI5_1z5sBaxd6UeqqPhyphenhyphenmg_hVVT25SBupeDCkQ1XdezAfgm9Oz51YXRb2eKDs2R_CE9fZ6AgWa7jZtP/s400/j2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527701496848895234" border="0" /></a>Let us know if you want one. A few are just about ready to harvest!<br /></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-7887640133153012912010-10-17T09:27:00.009-05:002010-10-17T10:37:43.475-05:00Making the Butterfly GardenJohn had been wanting to build a butterfly garden in the back yard for some time but a lot of other things (thesis writing, for instance) were also on his mind.<br /><br />I had a small butterfly garden started in the front yard but we've had to rip everything up to re-landscape while putting in the new walkway. I'm glad I started one because we had a lot of healthy and/or robust plants ready to transplant.<br /><br />When the SFA fall plant sale came up we decided it was finally time to get this project underway.<br /><br />The house sits on a hill so we have a sloping yard. The first thing we had to do to our garden area was change that. Here's a before pic -<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Hjx75_9XKZh95HLTBX5QpHk6KZK6KHmy5aUVhS1Z7VafeHQ6nX-I4OjsdRDqEDikpvdIQsz2F6wExPq9Yo1GTrQ4T5LUlFkVaChO5r9INulLwD39yvyzTpVUI6a4xVQa1C5F5m0cBzBX/s1600/DSC_0493.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Hjx75_9XKZh95HLTBX5QpHk6KZK6KHmy5aUVhS1Z7VafeHQ6nX-I4OjsdRDqEDikpvdIQsz2F6wExPq9Yo1GTrQ4T5LUlFkVaChO5r9INulLwD39yvyzTpVUI6a4xVQa1C5F5m0cBzBX/s400/DSC_0493.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529023207956449314" border="0" /></a>Those are gardenia bushes that were planted before we moved in. They were in such bad shape that we couldn't even tell they were gardenias until a single flower bloomed on one of them a few months ago. We dug those up, composted the dead ones, and planted the only one that still had a fighting chance in a trash can. (We'll deal with it later...)<br /><br />We brought in some railroad ties that we dug up from the front yard to hold the dirt in our flower bed. We replanted a bunch of grass in other areas of the yard that needed it and dug up LOTS of the dirt that was right next to the patio. Hopefully this will keep some of the dirt <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">off</span> of the patio. (It gets sooo dirty!)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWWM0XyLSu1FNHcln04dzvcZ9YVBPqSOz6_kLvXCMsBzkESoUtoIzzc6GBQz1HDhnNISs5hhZ-5qxqWGi0EvNkLn9f_fDWQ882jwShExM-geHqSV0-5psZ5iivWjZ6-OQcdQ6bzpRrq_33/s1600/aaa.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWWM0XyLSu1FNHcln04dzvcZ9YVBPqSOz6_kLvXCMsBzkESoUtoIzzc6GBQz1HDhnNISs5hhZ-5qxqWGi0EvNkLn9f_fDWQ882jwShExM-geHqSV0-5psZ5iivWjZ6-OQcdQ6bzpRrq_33/s400/aaa.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529022495493792482" border="0" /></a><br />Next we flattened out the area, watered it for a few days, and then planted!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8iPhwFvSzwSSzOBAqZpvwx-TMxhrJluQN13HnKOVlt_-VauEBh6gzIco0lFH7PDLZ_xD9eS56QD2rffNFlZUqP_hGaVz16Mc-LRiZPjFoqTcWKxYBgtXcrl7pJEpDhdyqpxYpyaZrtv1/s1600/b1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8iPhwFvSzwSSzOBAqZpvwx-TMxhrJluQN13HnKOVlt_-VauEBh6gzIco0lFH7PDLZ_xD9eS56QD2rffNFlZUqP_hGaVz16Mc-LRiZPjFoqTcWKxYBgtXcrl7pJEpDhdyqpxYpyaZrtv1/s400/b1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529022243745184290" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Here's a key.<br />(Click the photo to enlarge.)<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnAjJvCrkjxRmWAv8F1OkSkn7iXy4vOo0iqRd_iKlwOzCQzB5MeQaRsKS5bgX7XV2JxRO34RC5dU5qncsZF9UD6li6bQHD0SINACe5yZONl3MQOHUyXd6Jtzulw19BlzRu-WnyRqQoqg4j/s1600/plant_key.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnAjJvCrkjxRmWAv8F1OkSkn7iXy4vOo0iqRd_iKlwOzCQzB5MeQaRsKS5bgX7XV2JxRO34RC5dU5qncsZF9UD6li6bQHD0SINACe5yZONl3MQOHUyXd6Jtzulw19BlzRu-WnyRqQoqg4j/s400/plant_key.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529021931438811154" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">1. Spider lilies that we dug up from elsewhere in the yard<br />2. Hummingbird Mint, one Texas Giant and one Tutti Frutti (fall plant sale)<br />3. Texas Fire Bush, from the front yard (Spring plant sale)<br />4. Columbine, two different varieties (fall plant sale)<br />5. Milkweed (fall plant sale)<br />6. Blue and Black Salvia (fall plant sale)<br />7. Hollyhock, from the front yard (grown from seed)<br />8. Blue Salvia, from the front yard (Lowe's)<br />9. Another type of Salvia, from the front yard (Lowe's)<br />10. Banana shrub, going to the front yard (Mercer plant sale)<br />11. Gardenia, planted in a trash can...ultimate location TBD<br />12. Japanese maple, going to the front yard (Mercer plant sale)<br />* Where we hope to one day see some blue bonnets, planted from seed (free from Mercer)</span><br /></div><br />And here's a future addition to the garden, as soon as I figure out where to put it. It's a Cardinal flower I purchased at last year's fall sale. I need to move it because it's in a place where Bowser really likes to wreak havoc.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6NRP40GAK2zP6zwCONXmyaZv9RCRA_ttC_0XB1IHO6pHbt4KNoboUrl1r6ugvr33Htx4DKESkF8ZG6iAunpMGs_P99nldBxnIGMiaWKFpmgQe8lIP82mVWchtCqNWuumdFsWUmsHVmUm/s1600/DSC_0365.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6NRP40GAK2zP6zwCONXmyaZv9RCRA_ttC_0XB1IHO6pHbt4KNoboUrl1r6ugvr33Htx4DKESkF8ZG6iAunpMGs_P99nldBxnIGMiaWKFpmgQe8lIP82mVWchtCqNWuumdFsWUmsHVmUm/s400/DSC_0365.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529021725130341394" border="0" /></a>My favorite plant in the garden is the Black and Blue Salvia. Soooo pretty -<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6NRP40GAK2zP6zwCONXmyaZv9RCRA_ttC_0XB1IHO6pHbt4KNoboUrl1r6ugvr33Htx4DKESkF8ZG6iAunpMGs_P99nldBxnIGMiaWKFpmgQe8lIP82mVWchtCqNWuumdFsWUmsHVmUm/s1600/DSC_0365.JPG"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6NRP40GAK2zP6zwCONXmyaZv9RCRA_ttC_0XB1IHO6pHbt4KNoboUrl1r6ugvr33Htx4DKESkF8ZG6iAunpMGs_P99nldBxnIGMiaWKFpmgQe8lIP82mVWchtCqNWuumdFsWUmsHVmUm/s1600/DSC_0365.JPG"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxnra7YRO_bnCfUJuB4GP9g8MQ4F1zim4yifWjYpQ_X9um33yLEoPuAeT0bZpPfkH0UGMaI3wlahG6tNHIn0JdGqRheL_RMrINAwfvPHqPFudjp0IAD26KSB3FBqbOhC3fa2bIOEacy3a/s1600/DSC_0018.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxnra7YRO_bnCfUJuB4GP9g8MQ4F1zim4yifWjYpQ_X9um33yLEoPuAeT0bZpPfkH0UGMaI3wlahG6tNHIn0JdGqRheL_RMrINAwfvPHqPFudjp0IAD26KSB3FBqbOhC3fa2bIOEacy3a/s400/DSC_0018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529036950670531698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZ5w-V0T9yrsJpt61o9t6zMANEEckhM4rmmrulkXxRhuKBKvUxsSEs8DJoD9-K7AJpqFHi8jeO_mY0eZAb_9mKXitgCelKb8YMeOTA9Xd6exS6f1s5HQxU562xO8nQfXtetdsTLC7EU7e/s1600/DSC_0019.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZ5w-V0T9yrsJpt61o9t6zMANEEckhM4rmmrulkXxRhuKBKvUxsSEs8DJoD9-K7AJpqFHi8jeO_mY0eZAb_9mKXitgCelKb8YMeOTA9Xd6exS6f1s5HQxU562xO8nQfXtetdsTLC7EU7e/s400/DSC_0019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529036955266908562" border="0" /></a></span></span>Happy Gardening!<br /></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-43984821878026154382010-10-13T19:35:00.006-05:002010-10-17T09:25:04.439-05:00Mini Jack Pumpkin Flowers<div style="text-align: center;">The pumpkin plants have come a long way since our <a href="http://happychappygardens.blogspot.com/2010/09/mini-jack-pumpkin-sprouts.html">last pumpkin post</a>! We've been getting one giant yellow flower on two or three plants every morning.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-M0WrfqB8wEvB9o88nGg-sKDdmhUZSjTeeAOTwlOgmghnzRvqfwG3niEe3P4O-HH8SN5y2T7omQAr5FWApiUSSMBpItCpluZreaCyF_RcPTVxcwboBMnXmnCI25Qxzyhlly4QK_zecQOw/s1600/p1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-M0WrfqB8wEvB9o88nGg-sKDdmhUZSjTeeAOTwlOgmghnzRvqfwG3niEe3P4O-HH8SN5y2T7omQAr5FWApiUSSMBpItCpluZreaCyF_RcPTVxcwboBMnXmnCI25Qxzyhlly4QK_zecQOw/s400/p1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527695334201001266" border="0" /></a><br />We've lucked out with the rain here recently and haven't had to water as much.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Gq1GeCFnbTUl1s55USOxQy_caTY6WyVlvSwOLsRkKLUAilNE_RL87g-f-XsCjeKfU6-MTVGC0rWASljRHAagxbQdpWz2VwDuM_fTuBf2ibLUAVk7DZ5PiZNn6TQb6V_gROVl9414scMa/s1600/p2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Gq1GeCFnbTUl1s55USOxQy_caTY6WyVlvSwOLsRkKLUAilNE_RL87g-f-XsCjeKfU6-MTVGC0rWASljRHAagxbQdpWz2VwDuM_fTuBf2ibLUAVk7DZ5PiZNn6TQb6V_gROVl9414scMa/s400/p2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527695108695216834" border="0" /></a><br />Not enough flowers have been blooming for me to feel good about picking any for meals, but there are plenty of buds on all of the plants - perhaps one day we'll have several flowers and I'll take a few into the kitchen to try a new recipe.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU24RHG4Wkp_IzqTqly9jPMaPN8fi4_2Ja0MJYWZv-Qe6RSQXJ4TaEOVrMnZB2l6MyqhbhcegcBQ2ZdOJ4tOAzssnS4k3UgOKMBpVV58jiqN5LSJR5Z0CxNHPcxZ_uyEeps1g7VxQKDsRR/s1600/p3.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU24RHG4Wkp_IzqTqly9jPMaPN8fi4_2Ja0MJYWZv-Qe6RSQXJ4TaEOVrMnZB2l6MyqhbhcegcBQ2ZdOJ4tOAzssnS4k3UgOKMBpVV58jiqN5LSJR5Z0CxNHPcxZ_uyEeps1g7VxQKDsRR/s400/p3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527694574812425762" border="0" /></a><br />The flowers are only open for a few hours in the morning. (They wither by lunch time!) To ensure pollination, we've been taking a Q-tip to the open flowers in the mornings.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYwlWZtN2h9wBGI2hbChb62ANPxMYIQltuS1bszHgHgLBRJ4qFEcrZ_S92fxk3y2eETBk3BCgeG4tYtelV6x64UYVOvp9ywiyu6udllJADPjwZaWBJWGRriXrkJ1OVsel4faMfG25p3Yw/s1600/p4.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYwlWZtN2h9wBGI2hbChb62ANPxMYIQltuS1bszHgHgLBRJ4qFEcrZ_S92fxk3y2eETBk3BCgeG4tYtelV6x64UYVOvp9ywiyu6udllJADPjwZaWBJWGRriXrkJ1OVsel4faMfG25p3Yw/s400/p4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527694367446056082" border="0" /></a><br />John soothes the flowers during the process by chanting "I'm a little buzzy bee."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSISBdcN3RdZYnbDl2UnGFNSflDE_oolxNvsdiG6ndkVzGSjJlYwujM_0qCVQ9un6Q-1jDO-kbAi-LfBtbZwIKDkfvSMdV4Tp2lGyAWO5eJbGPpW2Mu6QuJ-0ZnTsE_Y3nLCqS2LXvyHb8/s1600/p5.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSISBdcN3RdZYnbDl2UnGFNSflDE_oolxNvsdiG6ndkVzGSjJlYwujM_0qCVQ9un6Q-1jDO-kbAi-LfBtbZwIKDkfvSMdV4Tp2lGyAWO5eJbGPpW2Mu6QuJ-0ZnTsE_Y3nLCqS2LXvyHb8/s400/p5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527694152484110802" border="0" /></a><br />Chances are we won't have little pumpkins in time for Halloween but that's okay...maybe Thanksgiving!<br /></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-73632572725159926402010-09-09T10:19:00.003-05:002010-10-17T09:25:31.019-05:00Mini Jack Pumpkin Sprouts<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25CrUe8keIv7XzI9_0PdXVp88iNdZuiDFvMlNKf9Sixp1RiOwaB2m5YEPQ4wpaXPn2xMWWGAprgdkcwTrMHtfUvxgucoUYsq-BwxTYX9Qwn1x90kad3vYdlqUX4nslPjC7RWS1BKbnlJr/s1600/pumpkin2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px; display: block; height: 400px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514941632800688786" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25CrUe8keIv7XzI9_0PdXVp88iNdZuiDFvMlNKf9Sixp1RiOwaB2m5YEPQ4wpaXPn2xMWWGAprgdkcwTrMHtfUvxgucoUYsq-BwxTYX9Qwn1x90kad3vYdlqUX4nslPjC7RWS1BKbnlJr/s400/pumpkin2.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I ordered some <a href="http://www.reneesgarden.com/">Renee's Garden</a> Mini Jack pumpkin seeds online via Amazon. We planted them during the last week of August (which is really late for planting these). Our first sprout appeared on September 5th and about six more showed up on September 7th, the day these photos were taken. Here is the first sprout, noticeably more mature than the others -<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LZbjWwSFbdLo2jASWXJ5E5Ovt1BjNLmfNKksaz3YftGhTL5ijqFcYFzKGZJFcxFIMdCe-70wHfy49XzxSvqyPn4bt2UMEJ_-PT6-axS07Y-bC-8Ej68MkGJ1IaCsC0ENecszalGjj3G6/s1600/DSC_0328.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px; display: block; height: 268px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514306323467810722" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LZbjWwSFbdLo2jASWXJ5E5Ovt1BjNLmfNKksaz3YftGhTL5ijqFcYFzKGZJFcxFIMdCe-70wHfy49XzxSvqyPn4bt2UMEJ_-PT6-axS07Y-bC-8Ej68MkGJ1IaCsC0ENecszalGjj3G6/s400/DSC_0328.JPG" border="0" /></a>The next two photos give you an idea of how the rest of them look just coming out of the ground. According to the seed packet, these take 80-85 days to mature before harvest, so we <span style="font-style: italic;">might not</span> have baby pumpkins in time for Halloween. But that's alright - we're still going to have lots of fun watching them grow!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNL6o-jFFs25eQJuOye8ds8Guwqp4YRK4EXck1_RuPkHGmHshnyxbBb9kbBeqLSNhp-o4J1Lg0lX9jX-Rl05iOeETyQh3OUEgN7FqX9L1U84ExV1Zm6UpoM4ZRCnlSqO7fp084xlsbsk7_/s1600/DSC_0329.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px; display: block; height: 268px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514305342748781698" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNL6o-jFFs25eQJuOye8ds8Guwqp4YRK4EXck1_RuPkHGmHshnyxbBb9kbBeqLSNhp-o4J1Lg0lX9jX-Rl05iOeETyQh3OUEgN7FqX9L1U84ExV1Zm6UpoM4ZRCnlSqO7fp084xlsbsk7_/s400/DSC_0329.JPG" border="0" /></a>We're not completely sure what we are going to do with the mature squash yet, so any recipe suggestions are welcome! I would like to try cooking some of the flowers. I had some awesome pumpkin flower dishes in Oaxaca and I'm anxious to try making a few on my own. The squash should also make some awesome decorations - we're already making a list of who we'd like to gift some to if we end up with a good harvest.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiny1NcQm7NYPaG8QzWZRxWL_U19GBzKAwO9j4QksmW_iaIWMkG1H_CydNuKFrq2i1kqV9L3FC9l7F176vyV4Wrq7Veox7i01sE_pxwIXwrGWrewLWErA_47AFKQIM3RJc-CF3QZmKtnWyX/s1600/DSC_0330.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px; display: block; height: 268px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514305102968421778" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiny1NcQm7NYPaG8QzWZRxWL_U19GBzKAwO9j4QksmW_iaIWMkG1H_CydNuKFrq2i1kqV9L3FC9l7F176vyV4Wrq7Veox7i01sE_pxwIXwrGWrewLWErA_47AFKQIM3RJc-CF3QZmKtnWyX/s400/DSC_0330.JPG" border="0" /></a>Mini Jack Pumpkins<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Cucurbita pep0</span><br />Pumpkin in Spanish = la Calabaza<br /><br />Fun Fact:<br />According to a diccionario of mine, <span style="font-style: italic;">la calabaza </span>is also defined as "una persona ignorante" - someone who is ignorant. Interesting, especially since "pumpkin" in our language is often used as a term of endearment. :-) </div></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-19012271751615854152010-09-07T19:15:00.003-05:002010-09-22T12:48:17.168-05:00SFA Mast Arboretum and Children's GardenPhoto Post!<br /><br />On Labor Day weekend John and I took my mother and my sister to see plants at SFA. Here's my mom resting on a large tree trunk -<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2ebhlRMD6FGMYREzvqI7lQUWayUH7PxDRZKVD04AOlIyRDXOn7DAB2kDVtq_py_0AKoRNBM0F28izqAHFfh2Jm4OVBmFIdLkF0RLEjxTF2JR5mS7cV7WE-QUZvKQ1Y44NXo8mbxURVdH/s1600/DSC_0277.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2ebhlRMD6FGMYREzvqI7lQUWayUH7PxDRZKVD04AOlIyRDXOn7DAB2kDVtq_py_0AKoRNBM0F28izqAHFfh2Jm4OVBmFIdLkF0RLEjxTF2JR5mS7cV7WE-QUZvKQ1Y44NXo8mbxURVdH/s400/DSC_0277.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514334033003448402" border="0" /></a>Some plants that remind me of Jurassic Park -<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09-tGBDOw0vJhfYpxJe5cbaORCaMOYGvLMGeEo2wWOLvWdeHkCKB1VMnSaFdhvqsAfyZZg8rn37Kceq0cNZKswKpA1Wzej2_40mM3fkCVydfjipwceUI1m6s5mxGQJcQBXeFz97r_YFEL/s1600/DSC_0279.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09-tGBDOw0vJhfYpxJe5cbaORCaMOYGvLMGeEo2wWOLvWdeHkCKB1VMnSaFdhvqsAfyZZg8rn37Kceq0cNZKswKpA1Wzej2_40mM3fkCVydfjipwceUI1m6s5mxGQJcQBXeFz97r_YFEL/s400/DSC_0279.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514333596506235186" border="0" /></a>Some <span style="font-style: italic;">Agapanthus orientalis</span>, "Gold Strike" African Lily. I want some.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtNxmn62JECaHb58Fi3ZrZnIqgmFxeZzkWLAMkq_cg20LOoLErEwqBnZqf0UJN8ahyNadFVwx_rhjscfE9wiBT7MPvMTON8KdfbAO1IKRGm16TnFXiJFZWdPVkhQrbLxMGAZ_VRlJpkvU/s1600/DSC_0280.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtNxmn62JECaHb58Fi3ZrZnIqgmFxeZzkWLAMkq_cg20LOoLErEwqBnZqf0UJN8ahyNadFVwx_rhjscfE9wiBT7MPvMTON8KdfbAO1IKRGm16TnFXiJFZWdPVkhQrbLxMGAZ_VRlJpkvU/s400/DSC_0280.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514332888606325698" border="0" /></a>Mom and sis sitting on a swing bench, checking out some photos they took on their cool superior phones -<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXwR4GWOsmlhTsa_HTegw-Y7LtJb9L7bKGtk8r7sPyZeZuIOePguBbLMNumc_xI2hQkAxiB9H_8ow2J7HGWeh89Rhe7L7wEuUz5ej_gh6vBy7_amT_id-w-OSrId06UBwpNQA8kWcsWbJ/s1600/DSC_0283.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXwR4GWOsmlhTsa_HTegw-Y7LtJb9L7bKGtk8r7sPyZeZuIOePguBbLMNumc_xI2hQkAxiB9H_8ow2J7HGWeh89Rhe7L7wEuUz5ej_gh6vBy7_amT_id-w-OSrId06UBwpNQA8kWcsWbJ/s400/DSC_0283.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514331236251635826" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvEdL3xEJZisKuYM-kAOBE2eWGfWd3XWeJwWWNlMpfyOTKCM6XAlXPemyrbCnYcG1p4dqT4nlndisHi_IlNhMbY8PdeB0QXzGw9KYWeM-iWSsaF3xv4vTlNxQmkZqNEsTIv6K-eAwovcF/s1600/DSC_0285.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvEdL3xEJZisKuYM-kAOBE2eWGfWd3XWeJwWWNlMpfyOTKCM6XAlXPemyrbCnYcG1p4dqT4nlndisHi_IlNhMbY8PdeB0QXzGw9KYWeM-iWSsaF3xv4vTlNxQmkZqNEsTIv6K-eAwovcF/s400/DSC_0285.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514331013995204242" border="0" /></a>Tips on creating a butterfly garden. (Click photo to enlarge)<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79Fu6Y_rFWDs3VXydUlDRoqB_a8k5LFPUhMHWrgXgJELQWg4XSIH70lRMvul38SGtEyctxHJazhVcChTIiNi64260VcwWyDahkezz2qxgicNif1liFp8C2WLIpmx7uWzPWFLVNO1eqTcA/s1600/DSC_0294.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79Fu6Y_rFWDs3VXydUlDRoqB_a8k5LFPUhMHWrgXgJELQWg4XSIH70lRMvul38SGtEyctxHJazhVcChTIiNi64260VcwWyDahkezz2qxgicNif1liFp8C2WLIpmx7uWzPWFLVNO1eqTcA/s400/DSC_0294.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514330797731380690" border="0" /></a>Butterfly on Lantana<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlk5tqjEsiKeD76MyruHb0CjMsVcouGH4d_zg9Hs1X3k3PEFcxSWMHh3tY6b7Gl-V8WDb6H3BfxJmJpIPNOMocNb5FWZctl67CIikhUxuw1Vy1oPqdZmUOo8G6XJIC8nz8h18jZewJaJZS/s1600/DSC_0295.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlk5tqjEsiKeD76MyruHb0CjMsVcouGH4d_zg9Hs1X3k3PEFcxSWMHh3tY6b7Gl-V8WDb6H3BfxJmJpIPNOMocNb5FWZctl67CIikhUxuw1Vy1oPqdZmUOo8G6XJIC8nz8h18jZewJaJZS/s400/DSC_0295.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514330562845563426" border="0" /></a>Does anyone know which butterfly species this is?<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg18VcfglAt49CPW8a-_ddi9MXXMKEzu7VeGXD6R61pp5wJmWakvofXz_ainfLlu7PisIIYzZO_p2P5V9Gsodq9pn1jXQM2LTJzYFWKQjj1UARjh-l9iUBUXic_Lojrre4lyferwye8OmEO/s1600/DSC_0296.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg18VcfglAt49CPW8a-_ddi9MXXMKEzu7VeGXD6R61pp5wJmWakvofXz_ainfLlu7PisIIYzZO_p2P5V9Gsodq9pn1jXQM2LTJzYFWKQjj1UARjh-l9iUBUXic_Lojrre4lyferwye8OmEO/s400/DSC_0296.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514330402337412818" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">John and sis checking out a water feature that John actually helped build -<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZaM3wW0IM_JdUzR2Nz8A__QatQ1N2xH6PBdO7jsQndRo2X0SQdaUhK8GjMjUuzv7yWRAebgs31fRdplemJGf_KYAS0o34P-Kai29ShgUbDZ77J8qE6eUnH_U1_bHnAznk-wlQdNmMfpA/s1600/DSC_0300.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZaM3wW0IM_JdUzR2Nz8A__QatQ1N2xH6PBdO7jsQndRo2X0SQdaUhK8GjMjUuzv7yWRAebgs31fRdplemJGf_KYAS0o34P-Kai29ShgUbDZ77J8qE6eUnH_U1_bHnAznk-wlQdNmMfpA/s400/DSC_0300.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514329952566003794" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Said water feature -<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6-vsGGZrHARqLAZUnitjGaBekZd_IeqJHOPnsq-MC_VzM45ymroG_I7an1S3ohbk8VPH1mR38Ps_evpHSFazkH3rKqMm8KZ6tWYfvh-tBifzOZxtQ7-ZfedMZKZQmkABLCxwXK9h8BYw/s1600/DSC_0299.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6-vsGGZrHARqLAZUnitjGaBekZd_IeqJHOPnsq-MC_VzM45ymroG_I7an1S3ohbk8VPH1mR38Ps_evpHSFazkH3rKqMm8KZ6tWYfvh-tBifzOZxtQ7-ZfedMZKZQmkABLCxwXK9h8BYw/s400/DSC_0299.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514330181783395170" border="0" /></a>Have a nice day!<br /></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-8979709756495140452010-09-07T17:21:00.001-05:002010-09-22T12:49:47.474-05:00Indian Mustard Sprouts!On Sunday, we replanted our herb garden. Today (Tuesday!) we already had a bunch of mustard sprouts!! What you see here are sprouts of <span style="font-style: italic;">Brassica juncea</span>, which is <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">not</span> the same mustard that comes in bright yellow plastic bottles. (However, it is sometimes used to make brown mustard.)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFq35fZNuIYCZmJ0HudhiJG4ZdMi-GMjDx_OB0Z_ZJdki0BSoZEdmmYoB-CrabqQf8AzARqjv6gjPEHtGIeO29xLzAcEv6U6QSu0k0UDOiUMVdp20w5edPFP16-wu8gpyUvlMUowfgQiC/s1600/DSC_0322.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFq35fZNuIYCZmJ0HudhiJG4ZdMi-GMjDx_OB0Z_ZJdki0BSoZEdmmYoB-CrabqQf8AzARqjv6gjPEHtGIeO29xLzAcEv6U6QSu0k0UDOiUMVdp20w5edPFP16-wu8gpyUvlMUowfgQiC/s400/DSC_0322.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514300654423587794" border="0" /></a>We're growing this particular mustard for things like salads, soups, and a few Indian dishes.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLg0MbKZDr8knINgH8GHvODECzery6l-MOo-g5qQN6kbNUUmj4oe2RC89xR-kQ9NPoGHzgmGOc_qNCo-DgJ_o55sxYhxElzWwk_FiasQuNR9CIwcc-u4oz0YMCqQodN8-mT7BExKtsD8D/s1600/DSC_0323.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLg0MbKZDr8knINgH8GHvODECzery6l-MOo-g5qQN6kbNUUmj4oe2RC89xR-kQ9NPoGHzgmGOc_qNCo-DgJ_o55sxYhxElzWwk_FiasQuNR9CIwcc-u4oz0YMCqQodN8-mT7BExKtsD8D/s400/DSC_0323.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514300448310153186" border="0" /></a>Of course, as these little guys grow, we'll have to spread them out a bit. we've started them in the herb garden where there's room, but many will move to the vegetable garden. <br /><br />According to the seed packet, these fellas are supposed to take 10 days to germinate. Ha!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-8658725978393993832010-08-22T13:33:00.002-05:002010-09-22T12:50:05.116-05:00Jalapeno!<div style="text-align: center;">Last night, while working on the garden we happened upon this sexy little jalapeno!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhsPrCm4sV1iO6g7R2y_JTShh_hvx9KGde2SMi9n1EWbusvZ2l4UGAf3nmg5ZV3Jv7LI5BJdmb16kM_UehmUnzj2L8nz-gx2oLUcZ1fJNwdJiIyW9Jpg_tOsYS7L9koyGEngNM7OKQ1ZO/s1600/DSC_0203.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhsPrCm4sV1iO6g7R2y_JTShh_hvx9KGde2SMi9n1EWbusvZ2l4UGAf3nmg5ZV3Jv7LI5BJdmb16kM_UehmUnzj2L8nz-gx2oLUcZ1fJNwdJiIyW9Jpg_tOsYS7L9koyGEngNM7OKQ1ZO/s400/DSC_0203.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508305138380201474" border="0" /></a>I'm so excited!<br /><br />*UPDATE*<br />John and I used this little guy for dinner. We chopped it up and sauteed it with some onions & bell pepper as one of our toppings for <a href="http://happychappykitchens.blogspot.com/2010/08/baked-potato.html">baked potatoes</a>! yum!<br /><br /></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-72043080712737046702010-08-16T11:21:00.002-05:002010-09-22T12:46:21.605-05:00MercerOn Sunday, John and I headed out to the <a href="http://www.hcp4.net/mercer/">Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens</a> with John's mother, Karen. John's parents volunteer at Mercer and have talked about it a number of times, so I was interested in seeing the place. It did not disappoint. :-)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">John and me in front of the new tea house -<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrc0Wdc3JDOYPYQ6N_XziiYtFLWRhyphenhyphenOyha_Db37sDZxI5Uj9P9gDQh-wlVCW0fQgXGmwW7RnWL3eFSlJQZRM4o0byDFO62lGZ7kuvsxydturwwhvUIzhBkf0Ma8hcXuxSPSxL9_A0ckj36/s1600/DSCF0012.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrc0Wdc3JDOYPYQ6N_XziiYtFLWRhyphenhyphenOyha_Db37sDZxI5Uj9P9gDQh-wlVCW0fQgXGmwW7RnWL3eFSlJQZRM4o0byDFO62lGZ7kuvsxydturwwhvUIzhBkf0Ma8hcXuxSPSxL9_A0ckj36/s400/DSCF0012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506045890765298274" border="0" /></a>Welcome to the jungle -<br />Photo by Karen<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExKGXf4gmpkM4BGzSMSkZC7dgud3wghosP5UnjtO5Tc72GAZb3ps8NBrRYeAMUROa0vkZC-tbF71q732obTRNwrLDatRDMrD4dWGTGYoX-So6hdF7IhzNC3MroQjtvN4nj41yuQfvmNmq/s1600/DSCF0029.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExKGXf4gmpkM4BGzSMSkZC7dgud3wghosP5UnjtO5Tc72GAZb3ps8NBrRYeAMUROa0vkZC-tbF71q732obTRNwrLDatRDMrD4dWGTGYoX-So6hdF7IhzNC3MroQjtvN4nj41yuQfvmNmq/s400/DSCF0029.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506045790102131762" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">This little area was one of my favorites.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Q56vrf27DClPIvptYjdiovbSzd1CIGhQsoROmnL0VRl4eODDzNq1u9hNHCo6XBOCXEh4O7rUApVMQNc1AQ1g7TWvE9CwCHEMtMNa_5bXnd20sqiNoSeDdF93d9XxYzkZpkpv2kxUyUb4/s1600/DSC_0040.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Q56vrf27DClPIvptYjdiovbSzd1CIGhQsoROmnL0VRl4eODDzNq1u9hNHCo6XBOCXEh4O7rUApVMQNc1AQ1g7TWvE9CwCHEMtMNa_5bXnd20sqiNoSeDdF93d9XxYzkZpkpv2kxUyUb4/s400/DSC_0040.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506045652982173490" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Really cool fountain -<br />Photo by Karen<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVki3mYWUMAwGkmsT-ojBYJ3BBmrkfgJWuka-68lzGQ5O5ujlL5md_z4yByqeEdtLFO6nLM-xtALFeGN6h4ddUsZ___X3pcrV1q-YMykjinsShXuuAUzVGPze0BVBap_ydeO81c20YoOYc/s1600/DSCF0025.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVki3mYWUMAwGkmsT-ojBYJ3BBmrkfgJWuka-68lzGQ5O5ujlL5md_z4yByqeEdtLFO6nLM-xtALFeGN6h4ddUsZ___X3pcrV1q-YMykjinsShXuuAUzVGPze0BVBap_ydeO81c20YoOYc/s400/DSCF0025.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506045558178123042" border="0" /></a>The Chapman brick -<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjILcWxhD49U8UUq223rJxFuZoNQu5IiQocQshHqXop6bH4gjpKqx9LYLTYr0kS8c13P4lx_MStEPLXb3y6YCtcDfxddkQwhNfuaX8Yiuh1QCTBJwyk6PRWcSa3rcMOSuDzyHnW_akn6t/s1600/DSC_0026.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjILcWxhD49U8UUq223rJxFuZoNQu5IiQocQshHqXop6bH4gjpKqx9LYLTYr0kS8c13P4lx_MStEPLXb3y6YCtcDfxddkQwhNfuaX8Yiuh1QCTBJwyk6PRWcSa3rcMOSuDzyHnW_akn6t/s400/DSC_0026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506045440770344674" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Water Wall -<br />Photo by Karen<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9BktDmO0TAANRree7AOY1dceq1qOmd2Ui3CIhnHZXv5kBVSb35ULutqbcPLy7n-kTQVr2cR5E22k6WkzOO0tpSyJfkTaqmPV9HmevW9dbjQAXeDIXO2s-gic1rugEACFDvsHymBy4BAp/s1600/DSCF0026.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9BktDmO0TAANRree7AOY1dceq1qOmd2Ui3CIhnHZXv5kBVSb35ULutqbcPLy7n-kTQVr2cR5E22k6WkzOO0tpSyJfkTaqmPV9HmevW9dbjQAXeDIXO2s-gic1rugEACFDvsHymBy4BAp/s400/DSCF0026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506045348134989650" border="0" /></a>Here I am photographizing a snake. Nice action shot. I love that I had one foot in the air. Totally don't remember that!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjax1rFw8Vh8BCK41qFSLSPTBCudBs5Ren79GqMPUbo6vrM3YGuoCrWNnLHei6HshZAKDJcB8n50JACZuDPfOrjwhvuKvgm7D_tMKQVgBVw-qghzD0rJBPpX08EOReZbmgokyRttXB8n75G/s1600/DSCF0011.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjax1rFw8Vh8BCK41qFSLSPTBCudBs5Ren79GqMPUbo6vrM3YGuoCrWNnLHei6HshZAKDJcB8n50JACZuDPfOrjwhvuKvgm7D_tMKQVgBVw-qghzD0rJBPpX08EOReZbmgokyRttXB8n75G/s400/DSCF0011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506044894838010338" border="0" /></a>Said snake - some species of Nerodia<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9c1SAj2jHenpghXmL0OJhrX3scH-GxVtIOKV3ComDgdEQ7ENGhYOWXctUJf4Wdeg6hbgSENbZgrCpaEjP7PprCv_aiDLk8LQ1gnS4AppmxvU5hUttjtpM2mkCq3-FzLeRRCIvjNCU8PZm/s1600/DSC_0008.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9c1SAj2jHenpghXmL0OJhrX3scH-GxVtIOKV3ComDgdEQ7ENGhYOWXctUJf4Wdeg6hbgSENbZgrCpaEjP7PprCv_aiDLk8LQ1gnS4AppmxvU5hUttjtpM2mkCq3-FzLeRRCIvjNCU8PZm/s400/DSC_0008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506044810775732002" border="0" /></a>Karen photographizing some Japanese yew<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKVpRLjv_wjxkyAYfAaTw96dOfjs_9VFtIrR-AGBhkAMBba0Z-5kZJZSumLnoGJyPdVZ6a0fbmHlu5y8NBL_VLePl3wIpcuLWNEW4O0Li9XRsHKBBYf9CPbIMKJKHr-HQYA0d0W0wf1zW/s1600/DSC_0022.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKVpRLjv_wjxkyAYfAaTw96dOfjs_9VFtIrR-AGBhkAMBba0Z-5kZJZSumLnoGJyPdVZ6a0fbmHlu5y8NBL_VLePl3wIpcuLWNEW4O0Li9XRsHKBBYf9CPbIMKJKHr-HQYA0d0W0wf1zW/s400/DSC_0022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506044681164186514" border="0" /></a>Said yew -<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAz2QQVNGdlc0r2jdIm0VOksprD2MICGOjVin_x_1I4Uo9HH5Fqii7JlvmfZaLNSd4QLFpclN_8wte6EMkNTMPBh7IcTznf7q25-qAxLo-JFAPZdaf4dEdo6-mWr4JPgf4OfPP4CJ-VGc/s1600/DSC_0020.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAz2QQVNGdlc0r2jdIm0VOksprD2MICGOjVin_x_1I4Uo9HH5Fqii7JlvmfZaLNSd4QLFpclN_8wte6EMkNTMPBh7IcTznf7q25-qAxLo-JFAPZdaf4dEdo6-mWr4JPgf4OfPP4CJ-VGc/s400/DSC_0020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506044604639861986" border="0" /></a>Japanese maple -<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFR2hd3F1TKSito89gVrOL1XtmcRrg44-o0Nr_kqy-zMEX3vqYdgVRhoO2uYLXKurLJWwewSU0gdQY_xo1ZDeP156aRtG8hyKREbVwqILhCXZj8PGVuPW8jZEOheWJ4jW1BnhKx5-536a/s1600/DSC_0027.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFR2hd3F1TKSito89gVrOL1XtmcRrg44-o0Nr_kqy-zMEX3vqYdgVRhoO2uYLXKurLJWwewSU0gdQY_xo1ZDeP156aRtG8hyKREbVwqILhCXZj8PGVuPW8jZEOheWJ4jW1BnhKx5-536a/s400/DSC_0027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506044532918934802" border="0" /></a>Some bamboo -<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxXH92Pc2VQZZgks25yguaF5flMoPwPZLI8URIXdYzOxK05s-6oZiKnN8WJ7pvY5srwZ4JuJWB9LrjwWxhr8GE7HBhCNU3sozymamqWPz0deL6E8X75NRxOEH458Uzko1kvYPPkwsYEYEm/s1600/DSC_0030.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxXH92Pc2VQZZgks25yguaF5flMoPwPZLI8URIXdYzOxK05s-6oZiKnN8WJ7pvY5srwZ4JuJWB9LrjwWxhr8GE7HBhCNU3sozymamqWPz0deL6E8X75NRxOEH458Uzko1kvYPPkwsYEYEm/s400/DSC_0030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506044164712275538" border="0" /></a>More bamboo -<br />Photo by Karen<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQ9cEnbAENWIndzCWp4mlcj0OdJNuQ9zRdB8jShtkA-6_q7xLMSgBRYZSwHPjPeIz5y4B6SWwI3jha5xqReR_6B32rfbtmSsDuIc44q8ofMZBAPbZO7ynapmcAkMDd2NMrlvN7-qe-Bq5/s1600/DSCF0014.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQ9cEnbAENWIndzCWp4mlcj0OdJNuQ9zRdB8jShtkA-6_q7xLMSgBRYZSwHPjPeIz5y4B6SWwI3jha5xqReR_6B32rfbtmSsDuIc44q8ofMZBAPbZO7ynapmcAkMDd2NMrlvN7-qe-Bq5/s400/DSCF0014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506044240146043922" border="0" /></a>Crinum lily -<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoaxGJh_xk1YSUlnOFtQeSnEC_SPgM8IHqKaUUsRGoPflC4FmGqNvwDF5uQeuNpYgW2wOrMD13j_fph9aixq1OVw0EVux05ybv5CeUYurtGJvv6HmTwz2Dptx5bggh0kdQNowWHRKwSDi/s1600/DSC_0016.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoaxGJh_xk1YSUlnOFtQeSnEC_SPgM8IHqKaUUsRGoPflC4FmGqNvwDF5uQeuNpYgW2wOrMD13j_fph9aixq1OVw0EVux05ybv5CeUYurtGJvv6HmTwz2Dptx5bggh0kdQNowWHRKwSDi/s400/DSC_0016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506044053596135586" border="0" /></a>Pink Banana -<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtxz1hoY8c_xPITSAcgwEb_efxKEDg16lT1eZ3hwk_WHzCf1mt_-Z4GL8AZfodBKAGR4vZtTLNLGiP9BgAs6qbC-Cpg6pj-QXiRJLkCPk3Za7NQMiyH4a1qcXx9ubsVK6LQzFXUlqfJH7/s1600/DSC_0028.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtxz1hoY8c_xPITSAcgwEb_efxKEDg16lT1eZ3hwk_WHzCf1mt_-Z4GL8AZfodBKAGR4vZtTLNLGiP9BgAs6qbC-Cpg6pj-QXiRJLkCPk3Za7NQMiyH4a1qcXx9ubsVK6LQzFXUlqfJH7/s400/DSC_0028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506043948687891890" border="0" /></a>Brown Anole -<br /></div><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbIgXIUKm3XPuDg8fqSF0-D0du9FdqK7tR4A6-_hrDzGuHmE069wTKvQGRsTEOXMRTTivvf7Q4gJh52uigg90l1C8qPttfoYuptf86XPRPhQIZAvo9XwzJkempL2tG1u6nBmjkMSbi_9t4/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbIgXIUKm3XPuDg8fqSF0-D0du9FdqK7tR4A6-_hrDzGuHmE069wTKvQGRsTEOXMRTTivvf7Q4gJh52uigg90l1C8qPttfoYuptf86XPRPhQIZAvo9XwzJkempL2tG1u6nBmjkMSbi_9t4/s400/DSC_0003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506043762157133810" border="0" /></a>We were sweating BUCKETS while walking around but I think a good time was had by all. I think it would be really fun to volunteer or work at a place like this...just so that I won't be tempted to turn my back yard into one giant botanical garden!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-24963003377414851122010-08-04T10:24:00.001-05:002010-09-22T12:43:52.226-05:00Book Recommendation<div align="center">*UPDATE*</div><div align="center">After I posted this book recommendation, one of our lovely readers bought a copy and had it sent to our house!! We have no idea who it was, but we LOVE it! Thanks so much!!!</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">----------------------------------------------------------</div><br />I LOVE this book! A few weeks ago, I scoured the library for gardening books to skim through during my down time in my office. This is the one I look at the most: <span style="font-style: italic;">Growing Fruits & Vegetables Organically</span>, edited by Jean M. A. Nick and Fern Marshall Bradley.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oXx8iBWddF8-gUiaUysB-KtKA2yMM5Ba_8CsAn5CSnFewC2JxpeYZypFx9mOW1DyOgORx-RM1qiC9gAOA0P2xBdl09c_4pR6Eb6AA7VlIbxxqcuCvmDIyDkq6XsyaSQFJZXVpBqKBfc8/s1600/book.jpg"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 300px; display: block; height: 300px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501575907768808594" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oXx8iBWddF8-gUiaUysB-KtKA2yMM5Ba_8CsAn5CSnFewC2JxpeYZypFx9mOW1DyOgORx-RM1qiC9gAOA0P2xBdl09c_4pR6Eb6AA7VlIbxxqcuCvmDIyDkq6XsyaSQFJZXVpBqKBfc8/s400/book.jpg" border="0" /></a>I look at this book so often that it's become a sort of permanent fixture in my office, which is something I need to change before the library declares it as lost. (I've never officially checked it out.) I've added it to our Happy Chappy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/1PTRS9XP4NXHR/ref=cm_wl_rlist_go">wishlist on Amazon</a> and am thinking about purchasing it as soon as I earn enough from the books I'm selling.<br /><br />What I like most about this book is that it's really well-organized ("you only need to read what you want to know today") and I never have to hunt down what I'm looking for. Everything is really easy to find and really easy to read about. (Some of the soil science stuff is a little tedious for me, but I guess it is supposed to be.) I'm looking forward to trying out some of the simple do-it-yourself construction projects, including cloches, cold frames, hotbeds, and the "weather station" for recording temperature and rainfall.<br /><br />This book is really a great reference. It's got tips on composting, planning and record keeping, crop rotation, interplanting, biocontrols, and troubleshooting pests and diseases. There's a neat little Botany 101 section for people who know absolutely nothing about plants and a practical encyclopedia for individual crops. Each encyclopedia entry contains a huge expansion of what you might find on seed packets (sowing, spacing, days to maturity, etc.) as well as historical information, problem prevention, propagation, how to select varieties for your area, and some interesting folk information. Did you know that oregano is planted to repel sadness?Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-41572121040434595172010-08-01T16:58:00.001-05:002010-09-22T12:51:02.738-05:00Vegetable Garden UpdateOur corn did not fare well during our absence (San Diego trip) -<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuR6dsUxt1rK1aMIstD-ePuJsRR_Vqkq4zdg_hZFJMI4mTKLi5C74Wygkcl-8sDwr-9cJO2O5IllFuo6TZGKousaoRZYu0HIjLJQaPkdxuNYr75hieLCKzqMPim0Yzt6yCjonDBsmz6-7L/s1600/DSC_0097.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuR6dsUxt1rK1aMIstD-ePuJsRR_Vqkq4zdg_hZFJMI4mTKLi5C74Wygkcl-8sDwr-9cJO2O5IllFuo6TZGKousaoRZYu0HIjLJQaPkdxuNYr75hieLCKzqMPim0Yzt6yCjonDBsmz6-7L/s400/DSC_0097.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500566186654916530" border="0" /></a>Our cucumbers, however, surprised us. We thought they had stopped producing but lo and behold, there were two giant cucumbers waiting for us when we got home.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdR5jG6CSEe3fvH05Q1M97-h73Ttf199FoLvasG1zfmxE0caSGkYGWltMlj73_xOW0EhAAhZgDhpTvgftmDip3FXDYrmQ1WR4qOFNBzsKbac1YYWGU3CPXKUB9XCVjWgJ5eBtu2eCS9wmy/s1600/DSC_0093.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdR5jG6CSEe3fvH05Q1M97-h73Ttf199FoLvasG1zfmxE0caSGkYGWltMlj73_xOW0EhAAhZgDhpTvgftmDip3FXDYrmQ1WR4qOFNBzsKbac1YYWGU3CPXKUB9XCVjWgJ5eBtu2eCS9wmy/s400/DSC_0093.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500565816315092482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMJkt6Na_2YGM2feoEgVaCrrzYitGyU1uGKPY5ofuKii0yZXTS72R00Hiw4tvk4UcV4VIbdpzZxowAVspezxsXFnfqqJpjxY2vjyIlD6pKJufYnTeKlJ3lc3ksoOH5vaZHgKA_10D89Yx/s1600/DSC_0096.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMJkt6Na_2YGM2feoEgVaCrrzYitGyU1uGKPY5ofuKii0yZXTS72R00Hiw4tvk4UcV4VIbdpzZxowAVspezxsXFnfqqJpjxY2vjyIlD6pKJufYnTeKlJ3lc3ksoOH5vaZHgKA_10D89Yx/s400/DSC_0096.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500565614408852866" border="0" /></a>You can imagine what happened next...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgXCjw-1EOxklm8jEttzwSDMEuE8eyFke1nRMb6FXBjYssS6lDOvMr4oFl8i0EGedVrxBjjaLGPUEbLOnqxiEkvlDtjn34Od99A_uByTbmVnquHIGoQv8gTURM8FyUs54-vFELJx8fAG8/s1600/DSC_0139.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgXCjw-1EOxklm8jEttzwSDMEuE8eyFke1nRMb6FXBjYssS6lDOvMr4oFl8i0EGedVrxBjjaLGPUEbLOnqxiEkvlDtjn34Od99A_uByTbmVnquHIGoQv8gTURM8FyUs54-vFELJx8fAG8/s400/DSC_0139.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500564695650559058" border="0" /></a>Instead of slicing the cucumbers, we cut them into wedges.<br />This is John's flow chart of our pickle preparation:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNKKZWEwPZJF_aE6xIbJURMa6YsgroG8BOOtBT0GA4sen2oDnPitg2jOs_yNS8glyENS8Iva47gjbUIXwvGh7lom9AXTSZXQOJKVhyphenhyphenIYsOgb3FNxToN0TwDM3QvsDyuzqWkOWEzkiKFH9Y/s1600/DSC_0140.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNKKZWEwPZJF_aE6xIbJURMa6YsgroG8BOOtBT0GA4sen2oDnPitg2jOs_yNS8glyENS8Iva47gjbUIXwvGh7lom9AXTSZXQOJKVhyphenhyphenIYsOgb3FNxToN0TwDM3QvsDyuzqWkOWEzkiKFH9Y/s400/DSC_0140.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500564473291300946" border="0" /></a><a href="http://happychappygardens.blogspot.com/2010/07/cucumbers.html">Last time</a>, we didn't process the jar in boiling water. But then Karen (John's ma) told us that the boiling water step is to kill off any remaining microbes. Oops. So we made sure to let the jar sit in boiling water before and after there were pickles in it. After letting the jar cool, we stuck it in the <span style="font-style: italic;">refrigerator</span> (unlike last time) and let it sit for 24 hours. When we opened it back up, we were thrilled with delicious deli-style pickle wedges. The jar lasted about four days.<br /><br />After doing some reading, I learned that you're actually not supposed to let your cucumbers develop for so long if you plan to pickle them. They're not supposed to have developed seeds like ours did. They're supposed to be under-developed (but not yellow) for crispy pickles. While ours were delicious, they would have been much better if they hadn't been so floppy.<br />Next time...<br /><br />Our pickles from our last attempt are still sitting in the pantry and should be ready in about a month. They don't look as appetizing.Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-30526396192285708872010-07-03T16:16:00.001-05:002010-09-22T12:43:23.353-05:00Our first Hummingbird!<span style="font-family:georgia;">It's been rainy and gloomy outside and things have been quite dreary as far as my finding full-time employment is concerned, but on the positive, I finally got my Nikon D80 working again just in time to capture the first hummingbird at our feeder!</span><a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwyt52tzAQfkTT1Ujaoh3gnBXxloqtKhi8rjypuoipuRrElR0YTH5aLvifSCAleicWK2ueyuMSfWPj7eXWGTqlxI2dJuDDNgMSUJ2gJ8yYc0WPiGBsfeNGT9P8BOKmXOZpxMGf1NO1iRp/s720/bird2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 470px; height: 311px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwyt52tzAQfkTT1Ujaoh3gnBXxloqtKhi8rjypuoipuRrElR0YTH5aLvifSCAleicWK2ueyuMSfWPj7eXWGTqlxI2dJuDDNgMSUJ2gJ8yYc0WPiGBsfeNGT9P8BOKmXOZpxMGf1NO1iRp/s720/bird2.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:georgia;">John's parents got this feeder for me as a graduation gift. Last week I was looking through my Birds of Texas book to try and get an idea of when hummingbirds would be making it through the area. I wasn't expecting them for a little while longer, especially with the weather as cruddy as its been. Still, last week we prepared some nectar (1 part sugar, 4 parts water, boiled) and put the feeder right outside the front windows.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">On Thursday, right around 5:45pm, John startled me by exclaiming, "There's a hummingbird out there!" I jumped up to look out and see and of course, I missed it. But constant vigilance for about half an hour paid off. It kept fluttering to the feeder, moving back and forth between the feeder and some purple flowers I had planted in the front to attract butterflies. (Now I know to keep planting more of them!) I stood at the window waiting and snapping photos, waiting and snapping photos. I wish it hadn't been so dark and dull outside! I can't wait to catch it on a sunny day and get some excellent photos! But for now, these will have to do.</span><br /><a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuGcI0FotIVS14Y32-NtfcXDedWTZJFx79nHft8bSjbvYv08ALHD4YisTga9PYY2T8EVu7-IZvG7R8BEl65CSGlbf9zuKPJ3_s_WfevSU_A4t2NUSEuu5g-L3UpvkdQX_zbdoxRyH9SbW/s800/bird1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 470px; height: 289px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuGcI0FotIVS14Y32-NtfcXDedWTZJFx79nHft8bSjbvYv08ALHD4YisTga9PYY2T8EVu7-IZvG7R8BEl65CSGlbf9zuKPJ3_s_WfevSU_A4t2NUSEuu5g-L3UpvkdQX_zbdoxRyH9SbW/s800/bird1.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:georgia;">Ruby-throated hummingbird</span>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239284501446958371.post-60759419057416532422010-07-02T11:15:00.001-05:002010-09-22T12:50:34.485-05:00Cucumbers!While weeding the garden (which I'll talk about in a future post) I came across some big (and little) surprises: Cucumbers! They were hidden under our giant cucumber leaves. One of the cucumbers was easily over a foot long. <div><div><div><div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489347837483377202" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-OkCJC2UTeolrXEp9VxgzrB1hx5gLtyfafAnos4jG7W7LMdYZ14IDsNq-7j9WhXj3B8rkBcNnK4E-oad5u6DzSZUkFJFdejq5A4mrYamiZewN1kSc0Mkh-IE-tD7DZGuc5reox8BsY05/s400/cucumber.JPG" border="0" />Last night, we decided to pickle the ones that we hadn't already used in salads as such. It's our first attempt at making pickles. I'm so excited! We looked up some recipes for pickling cucumbers online and here is what ended up being our process:<br /><div></div><div></div><br /><div>First, we chilled the cucumbers in ice water for a little over two hours.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489345045951976754" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNKmk2ECV0ZCsnfwb-60UUK_ppVSSzj89FV1QpyldS_xwz0LOU5vFiJ_iN3P_pTmcB17FcI-99Uw0bS-vi6H5abx1HE52KG_ZFz-Od-NwE0o0WPOEY9ogYo5LbTuPpH3nirFgknW8U2uRm/s320/DSC_0086.JPG" border="0" /> Then, we sliced them all up and stuffed them in a jar with some halved garlic cloves, crushed red pepper, and some yummy dill.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489345520594963058" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6gMLqbXLhLJXGCQlySKA6sYi0H3OCZH4rItf9HDk_U4Vuas9gr8Zi0WxYzTDoa69XQwik3oV82Fvhpud5QckwjcLg8VQ8_fEefMdl-NIgaeMy058ivTB9h1n_XpcvZMGRqS3euAwC_uY/s320/DSC_0092.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div>Then we boiled some vinegar, pickling salt, and water. We poured the liquid into the jar over the cucumber slices. Apparently, you're supposed to then "process" the jar in boiling water for 15 minutes, but we skipped that part. After all, we were recycling an old jar and didn't really know how much it could take temperature-wise. The jar is now sitting in the pantry and the pickles should be ready in about two months. I can't wait!</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489348769414629330" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 268px; height: 400px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-VrULAqWimq5cm4Jq3DFV2iF9jRHWmBSRJafMt1AvnaZCAoomUFxJOmIYQhLlHIV5vcY7nkZyBPzVsWihyphenhyphenwAoyhPRSTzPMB0tZZcLpotfuRZEph5F9s-Cqy6IBHLP8Ex3ywsk1s-hyKq/s400/jar.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div></div></div>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914263541977693413noreply@blogger.com0