Last week has been the same
and different at once. I really thought
summer would be moving in with it’s hot humid days but . . . . no. We had another little tiny cool front blow
in. Lasted only a couple of hours but
they were very nice hours in the mid-60°.
Now, we are in the 90°’s and I’m pretty sure we’re going to be staying
there.
Many businesses here and throughout the state have opened
(and as of yesterday, many more) but they are limiting the numbers of people
allowed in at any given time. I’m still
pretty much at home with limited trips, mask wearing, and much
handwashing. I’m pretty sure I did
something last Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday but whatever it was, it certainly
wasn’t exciting.
Thursday, my sister and I
drove over to San Antonio for a day trip.
We went to look at manufactured homes at a specific place. Going over we drove on county roads and state
highways. Very scenic. We went through a number of small towns, like
Cuero, TX. According to the internet the population as
of 2010 is 6800 but based on the size of the town we drove through – I’d say it
has tripled in size. And, it has some
really cool buildings and homes!
Then, we went through Nixon
which has a total area of 1.6 square miles and a population of 2300. I’d say it’s gotten smaller. And - Smiley, TX, which is really small with
a population of 500-odd. I'm always amazed by the numbers (and names) of small towns.
That night it rained – a
lot. Big thunder boomers shook the
windows and lots of lightening. Rain started
late in the evening and continued off and on through Friday early morning. That’s good, we needed the rain.
Saturday, I took a walk
around the neighborhood. Quiet as
usual. I did notice . . .
The sago palms are starting
to bloom. As a point of interest, these
are actually not palms at all. They are
cycads which is one of the oldest groups of plants and dates back to the Jurassic
period. (A cycad is a seed plant and
typically has a stout woody trunk with a crown of large, stiff evergreen leaves.)
Sago palms are easy to care
for needing only bright light and dry conditions. Mine sat in water for 3 days during the GREAT
FLOOD OF 2017 and are just now recuperating. (I'll try to put up a picture of them when I dig them up for a container.)
They are likely to freeze in
climates that have real winter but they do very well as a container plant. Another interesting thing – these plants are dioecious
– meaning each is either male or female.
The first, very large sago
pictured above is female and here is her brood.
One other thing – sago palms
are toxic to humans, dogs and cats if eaten, including the seeds and sharp
leaves. I have to wear long sleeves when
I do anything with mine or it breaks me out in hives. And, finally I this fact found amusing – the male
plants are considered allergenic, but the female plants case no allergies.
Well, I think that’s all I
know right now. Tomorrow I have to go in,
fasting, for lab work. Ugh. I hope they have all the correct paperwork
ready. I’m not necessarily a nice person
when I don’t eat.
19 May 2020
I want to live in Smiley, Texas!! :-)
ReplyDeleteNow, I thank you very much for the sago palm info. My husband always wanted one and he bought one last year and kept it the garage over the winter. It is outside now and really growing! I didn't know about it being male or female! We think ours must be female since there is no giant...uh whatever you call that! :-)
It's nice to get out for a little drive, isn't it! Thanks for the info on sago palms, although I'm quite sure they would not survive a Canadian winter. A Canadian summer might even be too cool for them perhaps?
ReplyDeleteI used to take toast and coffee, and scarf them when I was back in the car.
ReplyDeleteI hope you find the perfect home.
I wish you could have dropped by here in Seguin. When I first arrived here the population was 18,000. it now busting out at 28,000+.
ReplyDeleteYeah that storm hit just after midnight. It was loud as hell and we got 2.5 inches rain.
i think that one town pic is in shiner. green b;dg
ReplyDeleteNo - it's in Cuero - we drove past it.
DeleteI would like to take a road trip, but as a person with a bladder the size of a pea (no pun intended), I worry about bathroom breaks. I would just go in nature, but we're WAY too populated for that!
ReplyDeleteEvery time I see a plant like that male sago palm I think of your sister. Snicker.