well, howdy strangers...

I'm afraid I haven't been a very good blogger lately.

The truck is back in the shop, and there's some family issues that I am most definitely not going to go into here, but I've been distracted to say the least.

Anyway, I decided that today I would take some personal time with my plants. Here's the Escobaria vivipara... bloomin like a darned fool. Some years it puts out blooms in masses of 15 to 20 at a time, and at other years, like this year, it puts out a few at a time every few days... I have no idea what triggers this behavior. Maybe it's got something to do with winter rain...

This is the Dallas Red crepe myrtle in the front yard...

This is the Notocactus leninghausii (Golden Ball) cactus in the back rock garden. The tag it came with said it was winter hardy to 20 degrees farenheight. I'm not too sure. What I'll probably do is get some clear plastic bowls to put over the top of the plants this winter if it looks like its going to get too cold...

And this is a Ferocactus latispinus ( Devil claw) cactus. Ditto on the 20 degrees on this one. I'm really not sure of this, because I can't find any online resources that say it's that hardy... again, clear plastic bowls may be put into service.

And this was marked as a Trichocereus grandifloris hybrid. Which means that its really an Echinopsis, since all the trichos were moved into that genus recently. Again, it's supposed to be hardy to 20, and again, I'm not sure...

This is a cholla. Not sure what species, but it's a 'start' from someone down the street, so I know it'll be fine.

And these are the napales in the tub, putting out new growth. They're definitely not winter hardy, so I'll have no qualms whatsoever about eating all the pads that come out... The varieagated grass is Stenotaphrum secundatum 'Variegatum' - in other words, common St. Augustine lawn grass except it's variegated. kind of cool... but not all St. Augustine grass varieties are winter hardy in Texas, so it's an experiment.

And that's about all for the moment.

Really, I just wanted to let everybody know that I'm still around. Haven't fell off the side of the planet yet.

later

crepe myrtle blooming...

well, if you live in this part of Texas, Crepe Myrtles are a neccesity. They bloom during the heat of summer, and it's pretty difficult to kill them off...





I have two varieties here... one was a mistake... Natchez white... Mom gave me the plant years ago and I had to plant it... unfortunately these are one of the huge tree varieties. I know, all the garden writers insist that it's not a tree. But these things can get 25 feet tall and can develop trunks as big around as my thigh, and I call it a tree... It takes constant trimming to keep it in check...
The other one here is Dallas Red... (that's how neccesary Crepe Myrtle is in Texas, we have varieties named after us...) This pic was taken in too bright light, the blooms are deeper and a bit bloody looking... but it's a nice plant, topping out at 6 to 7 feet... This is the plant that I have the egyptian onions planted underneath... I talked about them in a previous post...

I always trim the bottom of Crepe Myrtles out, making them a little more tree-like... this is because I have a small yard and the width of a plant really matters. It also gives me a place to grow annuals underneath, most of which appreciate the protection in the middle of the day.

Very tired tonight. Another 12 hour work day. Came home a cooked what my Grandma used to call a "bachelors skillet"

Turn oven to 450 degrees.

Put empty cast iron pan in oven to get hot...

Cut up 1 onion, 1 small potato and add whatever veggies were on sale at the grocery store this week... Hard veggies cut small, softer veggies cut big or leave whole... Tonight I used edemame beans, frozen sweet corn, cherry tomatoes and a yellow squash... I also can recomend using whole green beans, asparagus, whole mushrooms, eggplant, brocoli (stems and all) literally everything. Except cabbage, which turns to water when it cooks, and most greens will over cook.

add enough olive oil to coat everything, and whatever seasoning you like... curry powder, lemon pepper, cajun spice mix, whatever you're in the mood for. Toss it good.

When the skillet is hot, carefully pull it out and pour in the veggies... then push to one side and throw in a couple of chicken thighs, or any meat you want, keeping in mind that it will end up well done. (you vegetarians can skip the meat...) Put pan in oven and cook 25 minutes. You can give it a stir and turn the meat halfway through, but you don't have to.

Pull it out and eat.

Pretty good, and not that difficult.