News of the Day

  

Since we got back from the Beautiful Granddaughter’s Wedding, I haven’t done much exciting. 

And, before I get started on what I HAVE been doing, just a few things from the BGdW trip. 

Friday morning in New Braunfels, my sister and I went out for breakfast.  One of the menu offerings was – Baked Oatmeal (something I’ve never had).  Just in case you’re not familiar with Baked Oatmeal - “Baked oatmeal is where traditional oatmeal meets breakfast casserole. Oats, milk, and spices are baked into a casserole dish for breakfast that's less sad porridge, and more bread pudding.”  Well, okay.  The restaurant version was described as follows:

Rolled oats and steel cut oats combined with shredded carrot, apple, cranberry, and orange juice baked with brown sugar and egg, topped with toasted pecans and cream.

For a “bacon and eggs” girl, that’s just too many things in one bowl.  DanaBug, I thought of you when I read that.

On Saturday in NB, we all went to a Farmer’s Market just down the road a bit.  Very nice.  Not too many fruit/vegetable choices but seasonally we’re between things now.  Too late for tomatoes, too early for broccoli.  However, I did see

Microgreens

So, microgreens are a very young vegetable or herb seedling really.  They can be incorporated into sandwiches, wraps and salads.  Or, blended into smoothies or juiced (and that just sounds terrible).  And, used as a garnish on pizza, soup, omelets and other warm dishes.  Interesting.

Locally grown mushrooms.  And all sorts of mushrooms.

One young gardener had plants for sale.  These are planted in soil wrapped up in a sheet of sphagnum moss rather that in some type of container.  Most of the plants displayed were “house” type plants and not meant to be planted in the garden.  Very cute though I wondered about watering them.  The Blooming Basket

In the Weeds is a very cool place that creates all natural, organic, holistic, chemical-free products including face creams, lotion sticks, soaps, candles, firestarters, and these, …

smudge sticks.  This is the one I bought – Soulshine.  It’s made with sage, dried calendula flowers, a dried orange slice, a cinnamon stick, and a piece of orange calcite hand-tied with a hand-dyed, recycled sari silk.  I haven’t burned it and may not - right now it is resting on my small alter. 

And, the final booth that caught my attention was

The Planetarium, Handprinted Textiles.  All items have botanical inspired designs.  Very cute tea towels, t-shirts, totes.

So, back to “haven’t done much lately ……. Not to say I’ve just been sitting around because - - - no, I haven’t.  Thank all the gods, it’s finally cooling down just a bit with mornings in the upper 60’s and not much over 90 by midafternoon.  Ahhhh – Fall in the Gulf Coast Plains. 

Now is the time to transplant many things.  And, so far, I’ve dug up and transplanted several crinum

across the front of the house.  Still have several more to plant.  They can eventually get really big and wide and bloom throughout the summer. 

I also planted more trees – a sycamore, a loquat, and a bay tree (am working on having my very own forest).  Transplanted the lavender.  Cleaned up the herb garden (am fixin’ to pull up the basil as it has gone to seed in a big way).  I moved the big zigzag cactus and night-blooming cereus outside.  They’ve gotten too big for the porch.  So, I positioned them in the only shady-ish, protected place I have and told them – on your own now baby.  And, finally, this past Sunday, I truly hurt myself.  I planted my pony tail palm in the ground. 

Like this but a whole lot bigger.

It had outgrown the 10gal pot it was in, gotten 6’ tall and has a very large bulb.  No way I could put it in a larger container and move it anywhere.  So into the ground it was to go.  I chose a spot close to the house and the back porch (sunny and protected, while it could survive a freeze, it's on the north side with open ground around it - hopefully it won't freeze. - assuming it's actually going to be winter here), prepared the area, dug the hole, and broke the pot it was in.  And tried to lift it into the new place.  That’s when I hurt myself.  Now I can lift and carry 40 lbs easily enough.  I can lift 50 lbs.  I’m thinking that plant weighted in the neighborhood of 214 lbs.  Okay, maybe not 214 lbs but way more than the 50 lbs I can lift.  Still – determination, orneriness, perseverance, and general stubbornness got it into the hole and then ------- my back went CRACK! and I had to lay down in the dirt for a few minutes.  Then, got up and got the damn thing planted and came inside. 

Okay, a few fun facts –

Oddly enough, it’s not a palm or a tree but is a member of the Agave family and is considered a succulent. 
It is nicknamed “elephant’s foot” and it stores water in its trunk.
It has thin leaves that are 6ft long and only 1 inch wide. They emerge in a fountain-like fashion, curling downward.
A mature Ponytail Palm (10 years +) produces creamy-white flowers in spring or summer.  okay, I am going to work on getting it to flower because it’s over 10 yrs

It can get up to and over 10 ft tall and 5-10 ft wide.  Okay, getting tall is not a problem.  10 feet wide could be a problem.  

I was going to share some of the things blooming in my yard but this has already gotten long so pictures of pretty blooming things will have to wait until later.

English spelling is easy. We all no that as this poem demonstrates.

Eye have a spelling chequer, it came with my pea sea,
It plainly marks, for my revue, mist aches I cannot sea.
Each time when eye have struck the quays I weight four it to say
If wot eye rote is wrong or rite. It shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is maid it knows be four two late
And I can put the error rite. I really find it grate.
I’ve run this poem threw it, I’m sure you’re policed to no
It’s letter perfect in its weigh
MY CHEQUER TOLLED ME SEW.

 

11 Oct 2022