cactus babe update...

The official count for Escobaria vivipara seedlings growing in the spagnum moss is now officially 14.

Of course, it's quite possible that a few more will sprout anytime over the next few months. Cactus seeds tend to do what they want, when they want... but I'm kinda impressed so far. It'll be interesting to see how they do.

goofing off with the african violets...

still just getting used to the new camera... this time I was seeing how well the close-up feature works... took a few pics of the African Violets (Saintpaulia)

I've mentioned before that I'm not terribly fond of the things. I've always found them fussy, quaint and just too darned cute for my taste. The fact that they're actually growing and blooming this well is rather surprising to me.

I grow them in a 50 gallon fish tank terrarium that I origionally had just for propogating cuttings. Today I had them out to pull off dead leaves and flowers, so I decided to take some pics while they were out.

This one showed up here a little after Christmas. A friend down the street had recieved it as a gift, complete with glitter on the leaves... and brown spots where it had been watered wrong... anyway, it's starting to recover well, and has put out a new bunch of blooms...

The pick shows the blooms a little bluer than actuallity, but it's really the classic African violet... standard leaves, dark green with purply-red on the bottom, nice single blooms. It looks much like the violets that I remember everybody growing when I was a kid. It's about 9 inches across and growing in a six inch pot... which makes it rather huge for a Saintpaulia...

This one seems to have picked up some of the first ones glitter... Actually, it may have come from the same store as the first one as I inherited it after someone else got it as a present last Christmas... (I'm seriously considering putting a sign outside that says "Claudes Home for Wayward Plants" Maybe I can get tax-exempt status. I'm looking into it...)

It also is about 9 inches across in a six inch pot, identical to the previous plants. No brown spots on the leaves though... these are lighter green, no red undersides... and the older leaves tend to try to ruffle on the edge.

This is one of my moms... I think I had it in a previous posts... about 6 inches across in a 4 inch pot. Leaves are small, and I seam to recall that it is a semi-dwarf. It was in Mom's kitchen window for at least 7 years that I recall.

and of course, I think everybody has a heart leaf philodendron... or they have had one, or they remember one, or they've decided that they're so dirt common they hate them... (Philodendron scandens. Or P. scandens sp. oxicardium. Or P. cordatum. Or whatever they've decided last week... )

I bought this for a specific reason... I found a pic of my Mom in her kitchen when she lived in Germany that triggered a specific memory...

When Mom & Dad were first married, he was in the army and they were stationed in Germany. Mom, however, refused to live on the base... she figured if she was in Germany, it was kind of silly to live in a small American town. That, plus she always said that if she'd have been on that base, she probably would have strangled one of the officers wives... no particular officers wife, any of them would have done... But I have a very bad pic of Mom in her kitchen in Germany, and it has one of these plants growing on a huge scale...

These things will vine indefinitely. Mom had one growing that was rigged with string and thumbtacks all the way around the edges of the kitchen cieling... kind of a living green decorative molding. I asked her whatever happened to the thing... she said that it was common for the Army wives to sell them whenever their husbands were transfered and they had to move... they were sold for about 25 cents per foot, plus a little extra if the pot was especially nice, and she'd gotten $7.00 for hers.

Now, I have no intention of letting this thing wander around my cieling, but I was thinking of maybe letting it frame a window... And it looks like it may just be entering the running/vining stage.

Also, I did a little research... it would appear that according to N.A.S.A. if you have a high concentration of formaldahyde in the air in your house... this is the best plant for cleaning the air. If you have a low concentration, Aloe vera works better.

OK

Since I have both this plant and Aloe vera around, I have every confidence that I'm now safe from free floating clouds of formaldahyde. Not that I was worried about them until I realized that N.A.S.A. probably wouldn't be researching how to get rid of free floating clouds of formaldahyde unless there was a reason. Or they were really bored.

driving around, nothing much at all...

so, I was at a warehouse South of Mansfield the other day, when I saw these guys beside the parking lot... I've got a new camera, and have been dying to take a picture of something, anything really, and these were the best I could come up with.

Donkeys are notoriously unpredictable, so I took this shot from the truck window...

then I got out of the truck, hoping they'd let me get close enough to take a better pic... well they made a b-line straight for me...

I suspect the warehouse guys have been sneaking them apples and other treats... that's the only reason I know that they'd be so friendly to strangers.

Not great shots, but I'm getting used to the new camera.

But don't be expecting many more pics anytime soon... rained all day yesterday, and we're looking at more of the same today. Absolutely hell to drive in... and everybody keeps loading things in the back of my open pick-up truck, then telling me they can't get wet...

Uhhhh.... did you ever think of wrapping them in plastic? Even a garbage bag would do it...

or better yet, when you call the courier company, tell them it can't get wet, and they'll be glad to send a covered truck... DUH

Fossils and cactus babes...

OK folks... in the previous post, before I went off on a tangent about that stinking armpit of the metroplex known as Grapevine TX, I had told you about my visit to White Settlement and collecting a few fossils... here they are, mostly because I told you I would put the pics in more than anything else. They're not that impressive...

This first is a complete clamshell... although, it's probably more an impression of the inside of a shell rather than the shell itself. Or maybe not.. I'm not entirely sure. I like fossils, but I've never been totally inclined to do all the research neccesary... I'm more inclined to set them in the rock garden or a flower pot and not worry about it too much...

The next are ammonite sections. The round one being either a complete small ammonite or the center of one of the ammonite coils... the other just being a loose piece that broke off. See, I pic things up off the ground as I find them after the creeks have washed them free. I'm not inclined to go digging into a hillside. 1) I'm there for about 30 minutes max usually and 2) I don't think anybody would be too happy about someone with a pick-axe in the city park... if you read my previous post you know that just being male in the park with a camera is enough to get you accused of being a child molestor. Being a male in the park with a pick-axe would probably elevate my status to serial killer. Not only that... digging in the park would be destruction of public property, or interfering with a natural waterway or something or other. Plus, pickaxes are just cumbersome things to carry around in general.

Let's just say I'm not inclined and leave it at that... here's the ammonite.

This is an oyster shell. Fairly common as fossils go... and this one is remarkable only in that it still has it's bottom shell, but it was really hard to photograph the other side...

So, anyway, there's some of the local fossils.

I'm not a big fossil hound, I think I fell into fossils as a side note to the gardening... as I mentioned I tend to set them in the rock gardens, and I found the first ones when I was looking for interesting rocks for the rock garden. This part of Texas isn't known for dramatic fossils... although parts of the state do have dinosaur fossils. Tyranosaurus and all that...

and that's it. I said I'd show them, so there they are.

do with them what you will...

This might be slightly more interesting...

I'm kind of an experimental gardener. I do things just to see what will happen... so I'd read about a technique on another blog - forget which one - where somebody was growing bonsai in pure spagnum moss. You wet the moss, pack it really really tight, and things will grow in it.

Well, I had some here... so I packed it really really tight, put it in an old selfwatering african violet pot, put 3 acorns in it and waited to see if any oak seedlings sprouted. They haven't yet... it's been about 2 months... just sitting on the kitchen counter not doing anything... or so I thought...

Also in the kitchen window were some Escobaria vivipara seeds drying. I have most of them in an envelope now, but at one point, some of them got tipped into that little pot of spagnum moss, and if you look closely in the next pic, you will see little pinhead green spots... they're cactus seedlings.

altogether... there are about a dozen of the little things... now Spagnum is highly acid, and it keeps things from developing the fungus that kills most seedlings... I'm kinda wondering how long this will last... or if this is going to become my prefered method of planting cactus seedlings over the next few years... interesting, huh?

White Settlement, Grapevine... and then a good ole rant...

Well, a what I saw driving around post... followed by a what happened while driving around post... We'll start with pics that are (hopefully) interesting and why I found them so... and end with a long winded rant in which the city of Grapevine catches hell... be warned...

We'll start with White Settlement... a township that is more or less considered part of Ft. Worth... I delivered there and I brought my brown bag lunch into this city park.

This isn't, by most peoples standards a great park... the only reason it exists is because there's nothing else that can be done with this land. Essentially, it's spillway... a low area with a creak running through it that allows water to drain away during our torrential summer rain storms. Since it's there, it's mowed, and they've put in a picnic table in concrete and call it a park.

They're a decent enough place to eat your lunch, and you're usually alone unless some of the local factory workers decide to join you... but this creek is why I liked it... (BTW - That's my white truck parked up there at the top left of the pic)
These creeks tend to cut through the topsoil and sedimentary rock, so you end up with this... (BTW... that's my red mini cooler with lunch in it at the top of the pic...)

And if you look close... you can find fossils. That gray round thing in the middle is the underside of a clam shell... I didn't bring this one home... they're dead common...

And that ridged thing in the middle of this pic is, I think, an oyster shell... I did bring this one home... after I clean it up, I'll take a pic for you... and the complete clam I found... Both halves, fused together, uncracked... not common to find at all!

This park also has some stands of native yuccas... but I got a sudden call and had to run. Next time I'm there, I'll try to get some shots... hopefully in the spring when they're blooming...

Then I delivered to Grapevine... I've posted about Grapevine TX before. They have a pretty downtown, complete with an antique hearse on public display... But this time I visited their botanic garden. It's a small garden, But Grapevine is a small, albeit prosperous, township. This isn't the time of year to be visiting the garden though. What with bare trees and planting beds in winter mode, the only thing worth seeing is the water features, and even they are full of winter killed aquatic plants... I took a couple of shots of the koi though... just to take a pic of something...

I'm sure that come spring the bulbs will put on a show, and in summer and fall it would be wonderful... but right now... not so much...

WARNING - HIGHLY SELF RIGHTOUS AND FOUL TEMPERED RANT STARTS HERE!!!

So, I walk out of the Botanic Garden Gate, past the playground, put the camera in my truck, then walk over to a lonely park bench at the end of the park where I can sit with my little notebook and maybe make some notes for a blog. (Yes, despite the quality of my posts, there's usually some planning that has gone into them. I really have to start working on my writing...)

Suddenly, there's a cop in front of me...

"Yes officer? Is there a problem ma'am?" I ask?

"Well, someone called and said there was a single man here with a camera... and they were concerned about sexual predators..."

Now, I'm not used to being accused of being a sexual predator. So I'm afraid that my first thought was something along the lines of "WHAT THE FUCK?" You will all be proud to know, that it didn't come out of my mouth. Actually, I'm glad that it didn't come out of my mouth, because it probably would have made any further communication with the police officer difficult...

After explaining that I was a delivery driver and was simply waiting here between deliveries, and that the only thing I took pics of were the goldfish, I went back to the truck and showed her the pics and then I showed her my ID... and she kept harping on about how I had to 'understand' that as a single male in the park I was suspicious...

Now, I have to point out that I don't like scentences that start out with telling me I have to understand. Primarily because I don't. Have to understand, that is... in this particular situation, I do not have to understand every paranoid delusion some nuerotic housewife with too much time on her hands comes up with.

As for being a single man in the park... well, it's a public park. I'm allowed to be there. And I've certainly, as a single man, been in and photographed hundreds of public parks, gardens and streets without ever being accused of perversion.

Now, I'd like to make a few points...

1) I used to work for a magazine. I am more than aware of the laws surrounding photographing people in public. If it is in public, it is public domain, and you can take pictures of it. Otherwise, every photo-journalist in the United States would be in prison. So taking pics of children in a public park is not illegal. And considering that Photography professors used to give out assignments for students where they were to photograph children at play, or illustrate the word "Happiness" it's not always even particularly creepy.

2) There is a sign at the entrance of the Garden that says "Photographers Welcome" although requiring Commercial photographers to get a permit. This is pretty much the case at most Botanical Gardens... if you're going to haul in a Wedding dress and light stands and such, you need a permit... OK. The sign does not say "Photographers Welcome... unless you're one of those icky MALES" Because that would be illegal.

3) The fact that I'm a male does not make me a pervert. I did some quick checking, and while the numbers of female child molestors were higher than I thought they'd be... it's flawed logic to say that since most child molestors are male, all males are child molestors. It's like saying most prostitutes are female, so every woman you see on the street is a whore. It's just not the case. And, as an aside, there are far more prostitutes in the world than child molestors. But, as crimes go, child molestation is far, far more heinous.

4) While I did show the cop my pics on my digital... I was technically not required to. Of course we all know that if I hadn't, I would have been hand-cuffed and detained... but not arrested... until they got a search warrant. That's because even though I'm innocent until proven guilty, I'm not, in the eyes of the police, innocent.

5) Usually I am, technically, required to show my ID when it's asked for. However, in this situation, where absolutely no crime has been committed, the cops don't really have a right to ask for it. I didn't worry about that, because quite frankly, I do government deliveries, My ID is checked all the time, and it's quite possible my security clearance is higher that the cop who was calling it in... but that doesn't really matter.

So that's how my day went... accused of perversion and still home in time to feed the cats... Oh I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow...

Now, I'm off to post those goldfish pictures on the "KOI PORN" site...

And... just for the record... the entire city of Grapevine can kiss my ass...

Mashed Potato Souffle...

Mashed Potato Souffle

I know, I know, if you're like most people you hear the word 'Souffle' and the mere thought of actually making one of the darned things is enough to make you break into a cold sweat, develop a migraine and retire to a darkened room until everybody forgets they even mentioned such a thing...

I have to say I'm not entirely sure how they got this reputation.

Historically, I know from my French ancestors, that a souffle is largely what thrifty French housewives did with the leftovers... much like a casserole. There's a couple of tricks... they should always be cooked and served straight out of the oven, and never, ever, under any circumstances, do you greese the casserole dish... if it can't hang on to the sides, it can't climb. `

The mashed potato souffle is a provincial version, and is much easier and less intimidating.

It won't rise to dizzying hieghts, but trying to get them way high is more an American thing I understand... regardless...

Preheat oven to 325

2 cups of warm mashed potatoes (instant ones are actually fine. This is actually the only thing my mother would even consider instant mashed potatoes for... Leftover ones are good too, just microwave till their warm)

a couple of slices of sandwich ham, chopped.
a chopped green onion (or scallion if we're gonna get snotty)
1/4 cup shredded cheese
*As stated before, any leftovers will work - veggies, meats or what-have-you... just don't add more than 1/2 cup total.

6 eggs, separated

Add ham, onions and cheese ( or what-have-you) to mashed potatoes. Mix well.

Beat the six egg yolks till light and frothy, then combine with the mashed potatoes.

Beat the six egg whites to soft peaks, then fold into the potatoes. Pour into an ungreased casserole or souffle dish and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, it should be lightly browned on top. Serve immediately,

Yield 4 to 6 servings, depending on how hungry they are...

and here's a soufle in a classic episode of Mary Tyler Moore...

nothing at all...

I'm sitting around bored today... thought I'd post this before I deleted it from the ole computer.


I have no idea where it came from, but it's in the picture file...

Cisco, TX...

I was shocked and appalled to realize that I hadn't posted here in just over 2 weeks...

I'd like to say that my absence was due to being over worked. Couldn't be further from the truth. Work has actually been very very slow... right now due to the fact that nobody wanted anything delivered because they don't want stock on their year-end inventory.

I can't blame my glamorous and dramatic social life either... If I'm honest, and I really have no reason not to be so I might as well, I'm sitting around like a lump. Less money coming in means less money for entertainment... sure, I could put it on a credit card, but I've never trusted credit cards in general, so it's not exactly an option...

The truth of the matter is that 1) nothing worth mentioning has been happening... and 2) The mouse on my computer had developed some sort of electronic schizophrenia and I could never seem to drag my lazy butt into Wal-mart to get a new one...

So when my dispatcher called with an order that had to be delivered 156 miles to Cisco, TX I jumped on it like a goose on a june-bug... which is rather surprising, as I don't think anybodies been really excited to go to Cisco for years.

Cisco, like many smaller Texas towns, has been slowly fading for decades... in our modern world, populations are going more urban, and quite frankly, with cars so predominant, many people would rather drive 30 to 50 miles to go to a mall than shop in a small downtown.

But Cisco was one of the original Texas Oil boomtowns in it's day. It is also the home of the original hotel owned by Conrad Hilton. If you're interested, go here for the wikipedia entry...

After I made my delivery, it was obvious that I wasn't going to get back into Dallas-Ft. Worth in time to pick up any more jobs, so I drove around to see what there was to photograph.

Of course, they do have a Chamber of Commerce, with it's own website but the pics there are much prettier than the reality of the place... The truth is that you have classic Americana, in a rather sad state of disrepair...

This next pic creeped me out and fascinated me at the same time... Just how long does it take to get this many cob-webs...

An old Coco-Cola advertisement on the side of a building... it says Relieves Fatigue - 5 cents... I'm reasonably certain that when this sign went up, Coco-Cola still had actual cocaine in it, and it's safe to say that you would be quite perky after a couple of bottles...

Feed store... notice the old brick road... don't see these much anymore...

This building is empty... love the old fashioned fire escape crawling down the side of it though... and more brick roads...

Small towns like this always make me feel a little melancholy. I always wish I could see them in their hay-day, when they were busy and productive.

So, now I've produced an actual post... later...