Baby Chickens

Ning and the dogs. 4.28.16

I couldn't decide which photo to post so I posted all of them. Charlie (black) is 15, and Baigou (white) is 14. I won't say how old Ning is.

Crimson Pointe Plum Fruit Set. 4.11.15

Crimson Pointe Plum Fruit Set.  4.11.15

Crimson Pointe Fruit Set.  4.11.15

 Crimson Pointe plum has impressive fruit set this year.  Last year there were none at all.  The year before, about 3 or 4 plums.

I'm not sure what changed.  I did hand pollinate with flowers from Hollywood plum and Shiro.   I left those branches in the tree for insect pollination, too.   Maybe that was it, or temperature / rain difference.

Looks like potential for a great crop.

There is Charlie, always nearby.

Old Charlie. 8.23.14

Charlie.  8.13.14

He's 13 years old now.  The best friend I ever had.  His eyes are rheumy, and his joints are stiff in the am.  Once in a while he'll fall down for no apparent reason.  He can't handle the heat.  Neither can I.  He breathes heavily with minimal effort.  Even so, he runs up the stairs to greet me, barks at the cat, wags his tale all of the time, rests his chin on the computer keyboard, and stays not more than 5 feet away from me whenever I'm home.  He's comfortable and happy.  I wash his rheumy eyes every day.  His aging breaks my heart.

Brugmansia.

Brugmansia and Charlie

Doggie ecstasy

Charlie's getting pretty old for a dog. He's 12. Not too old to roll around in the grass and make pleasure noises.

Charlie and Baigou

Almost unrecognizable after haircut. They stay closer together after their haircuts. Warmer. Much more lively now without the heavy coats.

Time Machine. 2006

From December 2006, same dogs, 6 years younger.  Different fireplace.


Tomatoes Summer 2006.  I think this was one of my better crops.


This is the fig tree I just moved to Battleground.  Summer 2006.  According to my notes then, I started it from a cutting Dec 2003/Jan 2004.


May 2006.  Sunny Disposition bearded iris.  I've moved a start to Battleground.  This is a good performer, increases well, blooms well even with neglect and grass/palm competition.


I was also reading about old and ancient seeds.  That Judean Date Palm is still growing.  The tree is male, so the only way we'll get a taste of the ancient dates, will be for it to be crossed with modern date palms, then back cross with the parent for a 75% ancient palm.  Probably not in my lifetime.  According to this blog, Methusaleh bloomed in 2011, so I hope they used it to pollinate a related palm and potentially have fruit from those trees in 2022.

Charlie

My best buddy. Snoring. He twitches in his sleep, once in a while. Just being there, he makes the studies, and take-home work, go better.

Tolerance

Can I get up there?  Huh?  Can I?

Please?  I Promise I won't mess with the little animal there.

Don't even think about letting that creature up there.  Don't even think about it.

You let it on the bed.  Damn you!

That spot looks very comfortable.

Saturday homework

Just homework today.
Goals tomorrow:
Get through homework backlog (yeah, right)
Inflate bike tires. Leave them for a few days to see if they deflate.
Bake pie.
Make lunches for Monday

I'm keeping the birds well fed. There were very few insects around this summer. Maybe the birds helped.

It's hard to get a good pic of the birds. I don't want to sit waiting for them. There are birds at the feeder almost constantly.

My buddy Charlie.

He stays by my side while I'm doing homework.  I couldn't survive without him.

My home office window.  The orchids are in an in-between stage.  Not growing much, not blooming.  The holiday cacti are blooming like crazy.  One cymbidium has started sending out spikes.  I haven't decided if I should leave the others outside.  It's starting to become chilly.

The new kitchen now has a subfloor and insulation. Even though there have been many things completed since demolition, this is the first time when I start to feel like there is a kitchen here somewhere. Charlie agrees but wonders where his cookies have gone.

Baigou just doesn't care. He has the tail faster than light.

Back on line. What's blooming?

Desktop computer died. Camera seemed to be taking fuzzy pics. Got new camera. For some reason, laptop started displaying all instructions in Chinese - not helpful at all. Rebuild laptop from scratch. Whew! Almost back in business. Need better program to crop and edit pics. Here are the 1st ones from new camera.

Charlei got a haircut. He's my #1 buddy, always.The earliest narcissus are blooming. I think these are "jetfire".

Hollywood plum is blooming. This is the first plum to bloom. Bonanza peach and Trilite peach-plum are almost open as well. We had frost yesterday am, but it looked like it didn't frost the buds.

As things start working again, I hope to have more posted. Front bed renovations are 80% completed.

My Buddy Charlie

Before his latest haircut. He was starting to overheat, so time for a trim.

After. He's showing his age, now more slate grey instead of ebony black. Not as lively.

Baigou isn't by my side all of the time, like Charlie. He keeps to himself. WHen Im gone, the two of them sleep together. Half way through Baigou's haircut, the clippers quit working. Hence, the somewhat punk haircut.

My Buddy Charlie

Charlie is a difficult photo subject. He is so excitable, it takes many photos to get one decent shot. He loves to shake hands. Pink Cherry blooming in background.

Charliebama

Getting a little carried away here. Today I'm sick as a dog. So here's my faithful "Yes I Can" companion.

Winter. Schlumbergera. Homework.

The rest of today will be a homework day. This is made tolerable by the cold & snow outside, and my furry companion and some bright flowers inside.

Back yard. Later I'll publish a summary of the temperatures if I get a chance. Currently 27F on my thermometer in the grape arbor. The "zone denial' banana never made it into the house this year. Looks like it's a bit late, huh? Or was this "denial" of my frustration with the fact that it has never looked good, and since I DID manage to bring in the cannas, maybe I just didn't want to admit that leaving the banana outside was a passive-aggressive way to deal with it. Looks like a nice container for the cannas, or maybe potting up a fig next year?

Maybe the rhodie leaves should have been treated with antidessicant. We'll see this spring whether they perk up again.


Outside for a picture of the "big snow" December 19 2008

Possibly a bit obsessed with the Schlumbergera, but they allow the illusion of tropical lushness indoors. This pink one was added this year.

Also this mix. I'm not crazy about the two together, so used a sharpie to label the stems "W" and "R". The goal will be to pot up the white separately.

Strange, I've been thinking of starting a pot with all of the colors mixed together. Meanwhile not happy with the one combination that I do have.

Since they are no trouble to over-summer, a couple more should not be a burden.

Charlie is keeping me company while doing homework. He makes it all tolerable.

Lots of tomatoes this week.. AFter so much pessimism about whether they would produce at all, I'm happy to have a good crop.

The dogs had fun at Long Beach this weekend. I slept in the car while Ning drove.

Charlie is so animated that it's next to impossible to get a good shot.

Charlie III. "Are you a pussycat?"

Charlie "Sit!"

Not much of a plot but it captures some of Charlie's 'spirit'.