So this is my story! When my dad bought our house in La, CA about 25 years ago it came with several Amaryllis bulbs planted along the driveway. I dont know what kind but i will definitely put a pic once they bloom again. But they are like red trumpets on a green stalk. One day maybe when i was like 10 my parents decided to put cement over the strip of dirt where the bulbs were planted. My uncle was gonna throw the bulbs out but my neighbor saw him and asked if she could have them and he said sure. Our house was built in 1944 but i have no clue as to how long the bulbs were there. About three years ago i went over to my neighbors house and she said i could have a pot of the amaryllis bulbs. She had many by now with all the offsets that grew. I planted them all in a sunny area in my backyard along with another amaryllis plant that grew up out of nowhere. I woke up one morning, went to my back yard and saw a bright pink flower between some wood and the cement. very unusual place for a flower. I dug it up and it was very deep in the soil. it didnt have any leaves just the stalk and flowers. and the next year nothing grew up. the year after that it was the first amaryllis to bloom again with no leaves. and this year it only grew leaves but no flower :(. im guessing it was planted toooo deep. It had an offset but i think i put it in my garden somewhere idk. This amaryllis?, not sure if it is but surely looks like it, is the most beautiful amaryllis that ive seen. its bright pink and had about 6 or 7 flowers on its single purple/brown stalk. I planted it in a differnt area and it did not take well. just yesterday I put it in a pot with good soil and put it in a sunny area. Hopefully it grows back so i can get it identified as well and also pollenate it!!!! I think it has a good chance of surviving. I actually cut a little off the top of the bulb like a couple centimeters or two just so its neater but idk hopefully i didnt kill it. And about a couple months ago I pollenated all my flowers and I got the 12 + pods of seeds from my neighbor and planted them. I had to throw some into the garden because there were so many. I actually check my planted seeds every other day and they are taking root so yay!! I will have a lot! So if annnyone ever wants to trade for other amaryllis bulbs let me know! idk if i can ship bulbs in the mail? Can i? Would i ship it in a little baggie of soil? idk Well thats how i came to love Amaryllis and im only 18 so lets see how long my passion lasts. Im guessing forever! If you have any advice or suggestions please let me knowww :D

Here are a couple of tasty variations in different colors: Red Lentil Soup With Lemon (NY Times 1/9/08) Time: 45 minutes 3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling 1 large onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper Pinch of ground chili powder or cayenne, more to taste 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth 1 cup red lentils 1 large carrot, peeled and diced Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro. 1. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes. 2. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer. 3. Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary. 4. Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky. 5. Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired. Yield: 4 servings. ============================================================ Yellow Split Pea and Sweet Potato Soup (www.wholefoods.com) 1 cup yellow split peas 1 quart vegetable broth 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch slices 7 whole green cardamom pods 1Â2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or canola oil 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 1 teaspoon garam masala 1/2Â1 teaspoon ground cumin lemon Cayenne pepper sea salt, to taste ground pepper, to taste Soak the peas in water to cover overnight. Drain and rinse. Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a medium pot. Add soaked peas, sweet potato slices and cardamom pods. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for an hour. (N.B. I skipped the soaking and gave the split peas a 15 minute head start and simmered until the peas and potato were falling apart -- less than an hour) Heat ghee in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garam masala and cumin and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. When sweet potatoes and peas are tender, add the spiced onions to the pot. Stir and cook another 5 minutes. Remove cardamom pods and season the soup with lemon, cayenne, salt, and pepper, as desired. Serves 4

White trim, white around the windows. SW Attitude Gray. I think you could do a lot with landscaping. We can't see the entrance and that is usually the focal point to the front of a house. The right side of the house dominates as it is more forward and two story. For that reason I decided not to paint the gable in another color. It would just draw more attention. SW Night Owl, if you are willing to paint the brick

i used to split when they needed to be split ... or i needed more of the same ... it really isnt something that need by done.. especially by calendar ... some plants will fairy ring ... the center dies out ... so you dig out the center. .or the whole plant.. and replant young vibrant parts ... others just get so root clogged.. and you can see a decline ... so dig them up ... but just digging them up for the heck of it .. well if you need the exercise.. or just wish to discipline your plants.. go for it ... but it isnt something that you are required to do ... ken