Today, I checked up on my Coleus cuttings which I have neglected and, um…. many are not in good shape. Dang it! I thought the mini-greenhouse dome would keep them watered and healthy, but I guess I left them too long. I will be going through them and saving what I can and take some inventory to see what I have left and see if I can still place an order with Rosy Dawn Gardens for some new varieties for this year.
Monthly Archives: February 2009
Driving Home
I am actually typing this on my laptop on our way home. It’s about 9:30pm and I am so tired and kinda home sick. I can’t wait to get home… plus, my but hurts from sitting in this car since this morning.
Our trip has taken so long, because we made numerous stops, to gas stations, fast foods, rest areas and a lunch break in Santa Barbara, which I never been to before. There was also pouring rains along the way and the accidents go along with that. We took 101 again, because Interstate 5 was closed down in some locations.
I can’t wait to take a shower and watch my recorded show Battlestar Galactica, Kyle XY and The Big Bang Theory in bed. I also am very anxious to see if any of my other sowed seeds have sprouted.
Vacation Continues + Legoland
We were not sure if we were going to be able to go to Legoland today, but luckily the weather was nice and there was no rain in the forecast. I’ve never been to Legoland, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew it had legos and some rides, but I thought it was going to be the size of something like a miniature golf course. It was actually the size of a full blown amusement park and my friends who have been there before said that they have expanded it my adding a aqurium-like attraction, althought that was an added cost.
If you are into Legos, this is like a dream come true. They have everything made of lego or Lego themed. There are numerous sculptures that are larger than myself throughout the park. In one section called Mini Lego Land (or something like that), they constructed entire miniature cities like Las Vegas, San Francisco, New Orleans, New York, Washington D.C. and more. They even constructed a new Capitol building depicting President Obama’s inauguration. This was very popular.
They also had some rides, but most it were kiddy rides. I would describe this more as a viewing attraction… and great for taking photos… and I took tons and tons of photo.
One thing that surprised me was that the plants and landscaping was terrific. They had many plants which I don’t see often including a black Bird of Paradise, Variegated Abutilon, many succulents like Aloes in bloom, Cacti, Plectranthus and many, many more. I wanted to take cuttings, but theu were not within reach. One in particular I saw was a beautiful Begonia.
After Legoland, we met up with Rachel, and went to see the movie "He’s Not That Into You". It was a romantic comedy, which I then to like… and I enjoyed this one.
Afterwards, they wanted to get some stuff from Walmart and I found larger peat pots, which I’ve been looking for and a plastic container that matches my existing one where I keep my seeds. I’ve been looking for this for a while now and haven’t found it til now.
We then went to dinner, where I just got a salad, because I’ve been eating so much this vacation.
Rachel’s Bat Mitzvah
We woke up early this Saturday to attend my friend Rachel’s Bat Mitzvah. Growing up Catholic, I actually was a little nervous and didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know if I had to participate in any of the Jewish customs or if Catholics were allowed inside. I just didn’t know… The only thing I knew was the ceremony was going to take about three hours.
Once we got to the temple, it was actually not bad. I could tell that we were not the only non-Jewish people there. There were about 15 adults taking their Bar/Bat Mitzvah so it took a while with all the normal ceremonial stuff plus the individual reflections that each person presented.
After hearing much of the prayers and speeches, I kinda felt like the participants were actually similar to how Catholics get confirmed. It’s much like reaffirming your religion, your beliefs, etc… and trying to lead a better life. I actually felt okay except at one point where one of the participants did say something about Catholics, which kinda made me feel uncomfortable.
All and all, it was a good experience and it was nice to support a friend with an important event in her life.
Afterwards, me and my friends went to a mall to kill time before Rachel’s party and get together later that evening.
Around 7pm or so, we went to a senior center where Rachel was having her party and had dinner. It was catered by a Mexican catering service, so we had yummy tacos and salad with all the fixings. There was also a lot of music and karaoke and dancing.
Off to Vacation…
I’m off to a vacation with my three friends Howard, Bill and Dave to Southern California to visit our friend Rachel who is having her Bat Mitzvah.
I started waking up early, but before leaving home, I quickly planted some seeds. I figured that they’ll have a four day heads start if I sowed them now than if I sowed them when I return. I planted Coreopsis ‘ Plains (Bicolor)’, Yu Choy ’50 Days’, Broccolu Raab and Misome into Jiffy Peat Pots… my first time using this medium. I placed them into a propagation tray with a plastic lid (mini-greenhouse) and once I see sprouts, I’ll start hardening them off and bring them outside.
We left the Bay area around 11am and the weather was not bad, but after a hour or so it started pouring rain. At times, I think it was hailing, but most of the time it was sprinkling.
After a few hours driving, we stopped at San Luis Obispo at get some gas and some lunch at Burger King. It’s funny, because I saw a Bottlebrush Bush–I think that’s what they are called–at the Burger King parking lot and upon close examination, found what I think are seeds. So, knowing me, I collected some…
We continued driving and the weather got better. We drove on 101 because we heard that Interstate 5 required chains because of snow. The drive is longer, but I must say the views are nice, especially once we got to the Ventura/Channel Island area. We could see the Pacific Ocean and it was beautiful.
Some things I observed on the road was that there were lots of wild Prickly Pear Cactus and Agave along the freeway. There were also many Orange Orchards and I think we past by a place called Monrovia. I don’t know if that’s where the plant grower Monrovia is located, but I did see a lot of greenhouses and plant growers along the highway.
We encountered the evening commute around the LA area, so we were in stop and go traffic and it was bad. I was driving at this point and I hated it. My hands were sweating since it was stressing me out just a bit. We finally reached our destination around 9 or 10pm, checked into our hotel room then grabbed a bite to eat. Afterwards, we headed to bed and I checked my email, updated my Facebook and all that stuff.
New African Violet Flower Buds…
The African Violet that a coworker gave me is starting to produce new flower buds. Heidi was right, this seems to be a hardy African Violet.
Saintpaulia (Family: Gesneriaceae)
Cymbidium Blooms…
My Mom was excited that her Cream/White Cymbidium Orchid just started to bloom. I don’t believe they bloomed last year.
These are kept outside in our back patio.
Cymbidium (Family: Orchidaceae)
Bite Club…
After work, I participated in our work’s "Bite Club"… a group of coworkers go out to a restaurant one Wednesday each month to explore new cuisines and bond a bit… I usually don’t participate because it is a hassle to try to get back home in the evening, but this time it was in the East Bay and my studio manager offered to drive me to my car at the car pool lot.
We went to Zachary’s Pizza in Oakland and it was pretty good. We had two deep dish pizzas, one Pepperoni and one Spinach and Mushroom. Both were really good and I really liked the tomato sauce. The tomatoes were chunky and a little subdued, which was refreshing. After a slice of each, we decided to get another pizza, Chirrizo and Green Peppers, which was equally good… but I think that gave me heartburn.
Afterwards, we walked a few blocks to the Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream shop, which I was told is where their world headquarters is. I had two scoops, one Green Tea and another Strawberries Cheesecake… yumm…