Category Archives: Uncategorized

Hide and Go Seek

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Yesterday when Pasiano and I were madly carrying plants and planting them, I asked Yolanda to clean off  the ledge of the wall between my neighbors and me that usually holds pots of plants as well as stone sculptures.  When I came up from the garden to collect yet another plant to plant, I noticed that just one slab of slate was still on the ledge, so I removed it and set it on the slate deck below.  I had only gone a couple of steps when Yolanda called out for me to come back. When I turned to do so, I saw her pointing at what I thought was a leaf stuck to the side of the wall, but as I got closer, I saw exactly what it was!

Click on photos to enlarge.

It was a tiny gray tree frog no more than 2 inches long, clinging to the side of the wall behind the piece of slate.  I quickly replaced the slate but an hour or so later came out to photograph him/her, then quickly replaced the slate.  That evening, I check again and this is what I saw:

So sad to lose my little neighbor.

This experience, however, put me in mind of another experience Forgottenman and I had when he picked me up iat the airport n St. Louis to drive me to Morehouse, where he lives. For that frog adventure, go HERE

 

Day of the Dead Barbie––What Next???

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It’s true. They are marketing a “Day of the Dead Barbie!”  In the current issue of Conecciones, Agustin Vasquez Calvario talks about the commercialization of events and holidays that once had a more spiritual purpose. My friend Harriet Hart wrote the following article wherein she interviewed him about Day of the Dead in San Juan Cosala, the town I live in:

 

I have written several blogs about my friend Agustin. To see the first, go to the link to his name in the first paragraph of my blog. To read the complete issue of Conecciones, go to its link there as well.

Where the Wild Fern Grows (And Other Greens)

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For Cee’s CMMC Fern Green Color Prompt

Strange Fruit but Delicious!!!!

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Last May, I published the below post which relates to the story I’m publishing today, so I am copying it below to save you the bother of going to that post. Modern developments on this tree are given afterwards:

Papaya and The Sexes

For the first 21 years I lived here, I always had a producing papaya tree. When I knew one was within two years of its life span, I would plant another and by the time the last one was no more, the next one would be producing fruit. This is now the only papaya tree left, and it has taken two years to produce fruit, but it is very strange fruit indeed as instead of growing in a clump at the top, the papayas grow at the end of very long cordlike stems that hang down a few feet from the stem.  Pasiano told me today that this is a male tree and that the fruit is inedible, but my next door neighbor, to whom I gave a tree produced from the same seed that grew this one, says their tree is growing fruit in the same manner and revealed that they are hermaphrodite trees!  I Googled the term and this is what I learned:

Papayas come in three sexual varieties: male, female and hermaphrodite. The hermaphrodite produces the flavorful fruit that is sold commercially.

Every day a new surprise!!! David and Sergio next door are netting their papayas to protect them. Today I planted new seed and was planning on cutting my tree down, but guess I’ll do the same and bag my fruit and see what happens. Monkey see, monkey do.

Above was the former post and below is today’s addition: 

Today’s developments: Well, I did bag the fruit and only took the bags off a week or so ago.  The fruit is a bit bigger and one had nearly ripened. Other than that, they looked pretty much like they did  4 1/2 months ago.  Then today I went out and two had fallen to the ground.  One looked ripe, but the other was still green. I was going to toss them but then at the last minute decided to bring them inside.  A little worm had started to dine on the ripe one, but the hole it had made  was only about the size of a dime and not much deeper, so I brushed off the worm, scooped out the tiny part he had dined on and brought the fruit in and rinsed it off with water from the garrafone and set it on the counter.

That was about 12 hours ago. It is now a bit past 9 PM and when I went into the kitchen for a drink of water (and to be truthful, to polish off the remains of a carton of ice cream) I noticed the ripe papaya and decided to slice it open and see what it was like inside.  It was about the size of a large cucumber or zucchini–8 inches long and about 2 inches wide.  I sliced the end off and saw that it was a lovely color.  I decided to scoop all the seeds out and to slice it in 1 inch slices, removing the peel of each round of papaya.  Luckily, I had ordered 4 ice tea spoons on the internet a few months ago and one of them was perfect for removing the seeds.  It was long enough to reach all the way to the end of the papaya and exactly the right size to remove the seeds without removing any of the flesh.  I removed seeds from the first 4 inches or so, sliced one circle and cut off the skin. Then I couldn’t resist taking a bite.  OMG! It was the sweetest and tastiest papaya I had ever eaten! The texture was perfect and it was go good that it was enough to turn a girl off chocolate!  I continued slicing it, put it all in a small soup bowl and put it into the fridge for breakfast with Saran Wrap over it to preserve the freshness.  Here is a photo of the end result. This is the entire papaya except for the one piece I ate:

For Weekly Prompts Color Challenge: Mostly Orange

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Click on photos to enlarge.

Seven Susans

Click on photos to enlarge.

 

 

For Weekly Prompts Color Challenge: Orange

Morning Glory, For Cee’s FOTD Oct 10, 2024

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These morning glories have covered all of the bougainvillea bushes below the pool and I decided since they spread so thickly, they may be the thing to plant next to the wall where everything was killed by the hot waterline break. I couldn’t find any exactly this color, but bought two to try out. We’ll see how they go. We’ve probably planted at least 45 new plants… but probably many more. We’ve been busy busy.  I’ll take some photos..haven’t had time so far to think of that.

 

For Cee’s FOTD

My Newest Hibiscus: FOTD Oct 9, 2024

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Again, we spent all morning planting new plants in preparation for the garden tour. This is my newest purchase–a new color of hibiscus.

For Cee’s FOTD

Wyoming Modern

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Th

This is a photo of my sister Patti’s house in Wyoming. The most “modern” house I’ve seen.

For CFFC: Fairly Modern Homes and Apartments

Abandoned, for RDP prompt, “Timid”

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Shack+Pump3.jpgPhoto Credit: forgottenman

Abandoned 

Grass sways by the abandoned house
I cower inside––a trembling mouse
exposed to the bright flash of day
when all else has gone away.

First my father, then my mum
go away and never come
again to shelter, feed or love.
Life is a winging mourning dove

that makes us and then flies away,
making green grass into hay,
the flush of life and then decay,
a harsh light turning shadows gray.

Life swells  like paint–a curling blister.
It peels away my older sister,
then also takes my younger brother
and never comes to bring another.

A shadow passes over me.
A sparrowhawk. I dare not flee,
for life is mainly perilous.
It makes us just to feed on us.

Outside I see the preening cat.
It waits for me––patient and fat
in tall grass by the abandoned house
wherein I hide–a trembling mouse.

The Ragtag Daily Prompt  is Timid.

Kalanchoe, For FOTD, Oct 8, 2024

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For Cee’s FOTD