Wow! That's a gorgeous shot! You work so well with the camera, Maria! Your photo albums are wonderful! I've bookmarked your page, and will go back to see more when I have a few hours of free time! LOL! It definitely has been a busy summer! And it's not over yet! I still have lots to do outdoors, not to mention taking care of all my indoor bulbs. Since I was way too afraid to allow my bulbs outdoors this spring and summer, I doubt many will bloom next spring... although, I could be surprised. I do plan on purchasing a few new ones this fall, though, so I will have winter blooms! We were going to go to the Netherlands this August to attend the wedding of a dear friend, but with gas and airline prices the way they are, we had to cancel. Airline tickets alone would have cost several thousand dollars, which we can't spare right now. I'm very disappointed, but I am going to attend the Chicagoland Orchid Festival, and even though it won't be quite the same, it will be fun. I should come away with a new orchid or two, and I have Cindee to thank for pointing me toward collecting these wonderful plants, as well as bulbs! Xuan, I doubt the Clematis pods will be anywhere near ready to ship this month, but I am watching them. I will harvest when they're ripe and hang on to them for your next family member to visit the States. In the meantime, I may be able to harvest a few other seeds for you. I will email. I'm behind on shipping out care packages, too... very shortly, I will have several types of seeds harvested and ready to ship... most are perennials from my gardens, but I know a few friends wanted to try some! As I finish getting things ready, I will let you all know what I have. Well... here's hoping the rest of the summer is fabulous for everyone! I just charged the camera batteries, and will head outside shortly to capture a few more summer blooms, so look for those sometime soon! Happy Gardening!

Frank, I agree with Josh... you do have a right to be disappointed if what you were shown is not what you received. You did pay good money for the bulb, after all. But looking at it another way, the ending is happier than any of us might have imagined... and a whole group of people get to enjoy the beauty that is Naranja! It also gave us opportunity to talk a little, and to get to know each other better. I found someone who can sympathize with what I go through, and I can sympathize with his situation. I didn't know before this thread that Josh has MS. And before this season, I didn't know what a great person you were, Frank, and what a wonderful sense of humor you have! You always make me smile, and more often than not, laugh... you have a unique way with words! :-) Having nursed my 73 year old Mother through leukemia, I know how difficult it is to care for an ailing parent. I wish you and your Mom the best, Frank. You're at a difficult crossroads in life. My Mother was almost lucky that her cancer was acute... she didn't suffer long. I'll always miss her, but reality is what it is. It was her time, and we were fortunate to spend several very wonderful months together before she got really sick. I'll always treasure those memories. Life has a way of throwing those curve balls at us, and we can either stand tall and take the pain, gaining strength and wisdom from it as it adds to our character... or we can curl up in a little ball and miss out on the beauty and all the little things that are mixed in with misery, pain and hard times. Every day I want to curl up into a little ball and cry... but where would that get me? Nowhere fast. And so, I put on my big girl shoes and face whatever the day has to bring. Some are good, some are great, and some aren't... but that's life. Today, I got to see that my common Red Lion has pushed its first scape past the neck of the bulb, and it won't be much longer until those lovely red blooms start to show themselves! And, I dug out two books that I haven't read yet, so I'm looking forward to sitting down tonight with some hot coffee and my reading glasses... Certain Prey and Chosen Prey, both by John Sanford, await my perusal. Oh, and we had some excitement today as one of our water hydrants burst and started spraying water all over the sidewalk and garage! Another project that was doled out to some local idiot claiming to be a professional... because the owner couldn't wait for my husband to get to it, moving through his long list of projects that need doing. Apparently, the guy didn't set the inner rod correctly, and it broke the outer casting. I don't know... I'm no plumber. My poor husband is out there as I write this, waist deep in a cold, muddy hole... playing with hydrant parts and piping. He's less than thrilled, as you can imagine. But I digress... Frank, you did a great thing bringing that bulb to the home for your Mom and her friends to enjoy... it was almost a blessing in disguise that you weren't happy with the color saturation. So, you see... things always have a way of working out... I call it karma. :-) Do not be a bit sorry you began us on this journey! It's been both fun and a learning experience... and I always enjoy a chance to share a little more, and learn a little more. And, Josh... in life, we have choices... and we can choose to take what we've been given and make it into something good. It all depends on how we look at it. My disease and injuries have given me something I never would have thought... a chance to slow down and truly look at and enjoy the wonderful little things we never notice when we're so busy, and we take life for granted. For example, during growing season, I force myself to rest often... and I see tiny little hummingbirds building a nest, or drinking nectar from the flowers in the garden. I watch praying mantises hunt, and I enjoy the scent that hundreds of different roses make when they're mixed in a garden setting, and a breeze brings it all to my nose. At night, I see bats against the moon as they hunt their prey, and I hear the pair of giant owls talk back and forth in the woods across the road. I'm very lucky. Really very lucky. If I had a different life, I'd never get to see or hear or smell or enjoy any of those things. I'd be too busy rushing through my days, barely noticing what Nature tries so hard to show me. As I get older, I realize how short life truly is... and how little time we actually get to be here, in our lives. I don't want to ever regret my life. I don't want to miss the important things, or the beauty, or the love and friendship being offered all around me. Nobody ever said any of it would be easy... but... it doesn't have to be as hard as we sometimes make it, either. So... take a deep breath... and be glad you were given the opportunities that you have, and the ones that await you. Life is sometimes ugly, and messy, and hard... but it's just as wonderful, and just as lovely and joyful.. as long as we are willing to give a little in order to receive a little, and we take the time to let all the good in. Ok... my fingers are tired, and they hurt. I'm going to go pour that cup of coffee, grab my glasses, and I'm going to bury my mind in a good story. And lest I forget, the pictures offered by Josh are just lovely! Sweet Lilian is one of my personal favorites. And everyone else, like Donna, has brought interesting and wonderful perspectives to this thread. I'm glad to be a part of it. :-) And... I would love to go on a Clivia growing journey with you, Frank... I've got two mixed in with my bulb collection, and they are part of the Amaryllidacea family, if I've got the spelling right. It looks wrong, but you know what I mean, I'm sure. In case anyone is interested, I'm including my 2011 garden photo album... link below. If you go all the way to the last page and view it in reverse, you can see my year in sequence... as the gardens came to life and grew. For some reason, PhotoBucket tacks on new uploads to the first pages, and not the last. I don't know... Anyhoo... everyone have a great evening... I'm off to read! :-) Here is a link that might be useful: 2011, Jodi Style!

You can use the same as any acid citrus, in salads, cooked food, marmalade, beverage like lemonade. It is very used in the Philippines and they use it a lot!, they make a dish called pancit which is very good and sprinkle the calamondin on top. All my acid citrus I start to use at the full size, they can be green and of course when they are fully ripened also. This way I get to use them for a longer season. Silvia Here is a link that might be useful: calamansi/calamondin

Very pretty yellows Kathy. Has your Eureka ever been a lemon yellow? Mine started out the last two years a lemon color. Strange but beautiful. I love it when it has that apricot color in it. Mine is only stems at the moment thanks to the deer and the horrible heat. Hope fo have a pretty good fall flush if I can keept he deer at bay. All your roses look great. Judy