Goblu..I guess when most mid-westerners think CA and Fl, general assumption is sun and warmth..especially compared to the mid-west..lol. Though after meeting and talking to ppl on the net, ppl from CA and Fl, I've discovered not all parts of either state have 365 and 366 (leap year, lol) have warm, humid, sunny days. Especially Southern Cal..It's surprising..Moreso, when I think about tropical birds, your wildlife, our pets, living outdoors during icy times. Guess they adapt. During winter, when our birds are caged at bedtime, I bundle their cages so they're warm. lol. Pansies do the same here..they do fine when temps are cool, even cold, but in mid-summer when temps are 90+, they die back. Stores that sell annuals/perrenials, build temporary gh's, are stocked with pansies. Now..A few roses, too, but pansies prefer the cold. Ever hear of Arum? I planted an Arum bulb some time back..Besides Snow Crocus, the arum is the first to sprout..it's doing fine..once temps hit 80F, it halts growth, and after 90F, dies back..In late Sept/Oct, it resprouts..Arums have beautiful variegated leaves, and Spath=like flowers. Wonder where Arums originate? So, you're saying planting tulips in Ca is a waste? About your lilac, did you say after a certain temp it dies..dies or goes dormant? Quinn, that spider looks genuine..It'd make a fine Halloween decoration..sorry Kathy..lol.. Kathy, thanks for the Drunkard Dream info. Fish Emulsion, hmm, yet it blooms..Perhaps age has a lot to do with it. You have the same problem I do..there is no way AV's would survive in my 'tiny' gh. Too cold and strong sun. They'd either freeze or scorch. Same with Phals/orchids..I once placed a few Phals outside, between shelves, facing north, behind bushes..the following day leaves were sunburned. I had no idea which direction did the burning since all sides were obstructed. The only orchid that does well outside, in full west sun is a Den. Kathy, is your gh connected to your home? If so, you are SO lucky, a connected gh/solarium is my dream. I have two watering options. Connecting a hose to the basement sink, or hauling 5 gallon jugs of water, making several trips. The only time jugs are necessary is when fertilizing and/or Superthriving, otherwise it's the hose..To be honest, I prefer using tepid water, water that's been sitting in containers at least 24 hours, but that's tiring, too much work, so it's mostly the hose.. That yellow flower is a Bromiliad? It sure looks nothing like a Brom flower, but beautiful! Kerrii? It's hard to see..leaves resemble hoya, but I don't know about Kerrii..leaves look oval, no? Karen, beautiful plants, especially the Dutchman's Pipe. Sophie, Snow Crocus are pretty hardy, even after snowfall. I wouldn't dig them either..let nature take its course. Crazy weather, everywhere.. Josh, our Daffs finally opened, and yours are starting to fade. Again, we're 1-2 months apart. Your Daffs are so pretty..I particularly like the white w/yellow center.. Are your Jasmines evergreen? I bet your railing looks beautiful when in flower..and the fragrance! On one side of our front railing grows Clamatis. They're pretty when in bloom, but it's short-lived. No fragrance. I wish. I'd love seeing a pic when your Star is blooming. Evie, your orchid flower is beautiful. It looks waxy. Mentha, your plants are doing wonderful! Your Hoya blooms are so pretty. I got H. shephardii, but it looks sad. Bought it on Ebay..It arrived looking unhealthy. Skimpy, weeps instead of hangs, it wilts rather than hangs. Got any ideas how I can 'pretty' it up? Goblu, that Wisteria is absolutely beautiful! Wowee. I planted Wisteria several years ago..Last summer, it stood/hung about 12'..hubby thought it was a weed, and whacked it! I was not a happy camper. Dandilions! Jmcat, you are more than welcome to come visit and help yourself to my 'Lion's tooth.' plants..lol. People eat the leaves, use in salads and make teas. Never eat/drink a plant that was sprayed with chemicals. Neighbors on either side of us hire landscapers to spray using all types of chemicals. I hate when this is done. I'm alleric to one or more of these sprays..The landscapers arrive early in the morning, sometimes 6am, while most people are still in dreamland. I wake, feel I can't breath..I now check, and sure enough, warning signs are placed in front and side yards warning to stay off grass, or treated with chemicals. Anyway, everyone's plants are doing great. Keep posting pics..Toni

I went thru some old records and I was wrong about the six years. I think it's 4, which is still a long time. And yes, it has not been an easy journey for me. It is again very difficult these past few weeks. I had hoped that I would have been able to just pop on the mask, go to sleep and everything wd be fine and that didn't happen. I have insomnia along with other maladies. Just after my sosa(severe obstructive sleep apnea) diagnosis, I had surgery for a septal deviation and I don't think that was a rousing success, but I cannot recall the level of breathing difficulty I had, but it ain't perfect now. A nose spray helps occasionally. My sleep dr. calls it or me.....complex. (sounds polite, wouldn't you say?) Lars, interesting that the sleep dr. feels that the mask is not the cause of your anxiety and of course that's true, but anxiety is still a common reaction to the mask. And this kind of leads into what I was thinking in my earlier posts-about it being a young science, and believing in your own gut, and "sleep dr., just fix me-in the current imperfect state that I'm in. Yes, I have a few warts, anxiety being the one wart in the forefront now, but ..." Otoh, maybe these newly diagnosed sleep problems bring every big and little complaint, imperfection, trouble, symptom to the front and center of our worlds,--I cannot clearly articulate what I'm thinking--Is this the case that, finally, someone is paying attention and we have to spill our guts with each malady plaguing us? or should I just speak for myself, in this instance? Lars, why do you think your body is not in balance? Unless you have lab results that tell you of this imbalance? There's a lot of 'good health' in your activities, such as your wonderful hikes, and your gardening, and cooking, and jack of all around your house,--and certainly your artistic abilities to see art wherever you look, and I'm not referring to your professional work capabilities but your vision as a layperson/human -altho that's mental rather than physical. I just think you have a lot of good health showing, too. Perhaps there is a component to these sleep issues where the patient becomes more aware or somehow feels a need to discuss/ address each big and little thing? Does a sleep dx open a can of worms? And then does the sleep dr. adequately respond? or kick it to a colleague? Is it just because a forum for complaints opens up? I dunno. I don't even remember everything, The headgear used to pull my longish hair out. After sleeping with a satin shmattie over my hair, under the headgear, I finally cut my hair. I had nasal deviation surgery. I did finally start losing weight, about 40 lbs. so far and I'm eating the same! (Getting your attention, now?lol) I addressed my pulmonary problems and now take a boatload of pricey drugs. Lotta babbling on my part, here.

Two days in and I'm slowly killing PK's Texas Columbine and I don't know how to make it better. It is losing it's pretty flowers and some of the leaves look like they are dry and crispy. It got rain on Saturday and sun on Sunday and then I noticed it was dropping it's flowers. So I moved it to the shade. It seems like the leaves look dry, even though the soil is moist (but not soaked). and I watered it a bit more yesterday, so the soil feels damp but not soaked. Could it be it doesn't like the wind? I really love it and want to save it. Any tips would be appreciated.

Morpheus Restaurant in Santa Elena, where I took Kevin for his birthday lunch after zip lining. He had some sort of shrimp special of the day, and I had chicken breast Milanese (a popular style in CR) with hearts of palm and fresh mushrooms. The meal came with a side dish of vegetables - mostly zucchini and some kind of squash - cut into about half inch cubes and them probably steamed lightly and then sauteed in butter. They were amazingly good - probably because they were so fresh, but also because no salt or pepper was used, and therefore the sweet natural flavor of the vegetables could be appreciated. I was so happy to find a country where salt is not king and where people appreciate the unadulterated flavors of locally grown vegetables and food. I also had a side dish of sauteed potatoes, and they were delicately seasoned and perfectly cooked. They were small potatoes (perhaps Yukon Gold or something similar) and had been cut into small wedges. There were quite a few Peruvian restaurants, and this might explain why we got potatoes instead of rice and beans. I had great potatoes at several restaurants. There was no salt and no pepper on the table, but none was needed. Hot sauce was also a rarity in CR. Back to the horse trail - here is a photo of the historic spot where I was thrown from the horse: You can see the tracks of the horses who left me behind! You can also get an idea of how soft the ground was, I think. I was very aware from the beginning that my horse had a mind of her own, and perhaps I did not pet her enough. The Italians petted their horses profusely as soon as they mounted them, and perhaps this is what I should have done as well. I was kind to her, however, and kept my legs spread apart as much as possible, to aid in stability and also to avoid kicking her. Lars