A Miniature Rival Of Sunset...

...is not something I see every day but I did see just that two days ago while I was working, and I saw it in the middle of the day. I do not know what it is called, I am not a botanist, nor a florist, but I can tell you it was absolutely beautiful - a real eye catcher. Yet despite that, I have never seen one other person stop to look at them here in Tucson - I suppose they are a common sight whatever they are. For me though, I stopped right in an intersection and took a bunch of pics of these fantastic little flowers that were growing right out of the middle of a traffic circle. Amazing how no one seems to pay them any mind. Like I said in my last post, we all ought to take the time to smell the roses (or whatever these are) because they are one of life's little rewards. If anyone knows what type of flowers are these please let me know by way of the comments section. Thanks.

All the best,

Glenn B

I Have No Idea What Type Of Cactus...

...this is, but I think you will admit that the flower - even though apparently not fully open - is pretty impressive. Just another interesting shot from along the Pima Canyon Trail near my hotel here in Tucson. Click on it to view a bigger view of it.

Somehow, I thought the flowers would have all been gone by now but I got this shot on May 1st. There are still lots of cacti blooming all around here in the mountains and valleys. maybe if I am really lucky I'll be able to get some shots at of some Hummingbirds in action while attending one of these beauties. I did see a hummingbird plucking small gnats or flies out of the air on Saturday as I rested from a hike. I never knew that ate anything but nectar; but I guess it stands to reason they need some protein. At first I doubted what I saw because of my vision but I put on my glasses and the bugs were back-lit so as to make them stand out from the background as they buzzed around so I know what I saw when I saw it. The Hummingbird would hover a few seconds, then dart forward and snap its beak and gobble down a gnat. It had amazing accuracy and got one each time it tried. It flew off after about 20 or so such morsels. Of course that flight coincided with me grabbing for my camera to record the event. Next time I will be ready for it.

All the best,

Glenn B

As The Heart Warrms and My Goosebumps Subside...

...I decided to do a nice thing and made breakfast for the wife and myself. She is out walking the dogs on her daily morning walk, so I got busy in the kitchen. Not much, just some eggs, toast, juice, and coffee. Mmm wonderful coffee, if I must say so myself. Probably a bit too strong for 'she who must be adored', but since I also went out into the garden and picked some flowers, then put them in a vase on the dining room table, she will love it all.

I must be in love, after all my goosebumps just came back when she came back into the house, and I sure I am not cold anymore.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Joys of the Garden...

...are to be found anew throughout the growing season. As the evening was born tonight I walked among the growing things in the garden and saw the garden was a place of goodness. Then I got down to the labor of the evening, and I watered the lawn front and back. I put out the sprinklers and let the sprinklers work over the back and front yards, and I fed my tortoises and saw they were content. When the lawns were overflowing with wet goodness I turned the hose with a spray head onto the vegetable and flower beds, the potted flowers, the shrubs and trees. While amidst the weed plot that is my back lawn, I noticed that the Honeysuckle was starting to bloom; and that it pleased mine eye to behold that their was an abundance of flowers on the vine. The vine itself grows from out of a crack in a cement/cinder block wall that divides my property from one of my neighbor's. It took root some time back, and surprised us all when the floating fragrance of its flowers filled the late spring and summertime nights. Each year now for the past several years I await the heady perfume like fragrance of its blooms. Tonight was the first night that I was treated to the absolutely wonderful aromatic air that they throw forth as they bloom. In my garden, there is nothing better than to see those white flowers and the yellow flowers in bloom on the Honeysuckle vine and to have them whisper to me with their alluring Siren's song in fragrant form.

All the best,
Glenn B

Another Saturday In The Garden...

...is beginning to show some signs of it looking as it is actually a garden again; and for a second Saturday in a row, my back is aching though not as much as it was last week. Today I began my day with a ride to Hicks Nursery, where 4 small potted herbs cost me just over $16.00; nothing made out of gold, just spearmint, cilantro (coriander), rosemary, and I can't remember the other one but just a regular herb. Then I went to Home Depot where I spent $57.00 and got 4 similar sized plants (3 pepper plants and an eggplant), 5 bags of top soil (40 lbs each), a box of fertilizer spikes for evergreens, a flat of Impatiens (32 plants), 6 potted geraniums in 4 inch pots, a well started tomato plant in a 6 inch pot, and some snazzy looking flowering perennial called Gaillardia Arizona Sun (the pic of the yellow and red flowers) that supposedly attracts butterflies. You tell me where I got the better deal. Despite the deals, I hate shopping at Home Depot because of the crowds. Then again, Hicks - a one store operation - was crowded too, just as bad as Home Depot for its size. So all in all shopping in both of them sucks as far as i am concerned, but Home Depot has better prices. One the way home, I took a few bucks I had saved by doing most of the shopping at Home Depot, and I stopped at TR's a local gin mill (yes named after Theodore Roosevelt) and I had one cold one - a Heineken. That was nice.

After the quick bottle of suds, it was back to home, to plant things. The first thing I did was to fill in a hole in a spot from where I had removed a stump several months back. It took four bags of the top soil and a good portion of compost and peat moss. I mixed it all nicely, and tamped it down. As soon as it was done, I dug a hole right in the middle of it, and I planted a tree on that spot; that is of course right after I asked she who must be obeyed if it was a good spot. I have no idea of what type is that tree, it is something that started to grow in my yard last year. I uprooted it, and put it into a pot, and that is where it stayed over the winter, the pot buried in my compost heap so it would not freeze. I have another one of them growing wild in the yard; and I used to think it was a bush so I trimmed it whenever I trimmed the other bushes that grew over my neighbor's fence. Then when I cleared a bit of the area, I realized "Hey, it has a trunk, its a tree". I stopped trimming it, and it started growing more like a tree than a bush, but somewhat worse for the trimmings I had given it. It is about 12-15 feet tall now, and okay by me. Now that I planted this new one today, I guess in a couple if years, I will get to see what one looks like that is not deformed because of a gardener gone berserk. Oh well...I did my thing for Arbor Day, just one day late. That tree, by the way, will keep company with an Oak, a couple of Dogwoods, a Japanese Maple, a Holly, and some assorted bushes, like the rhododendrons to the right/above.

Then I got to planting the veggies I had bought. I also planted some seeds for lettuce, spinach, cukes, turnips, beets (yech - but my wife loves em), and beans. I then cleaned up my mess, much to the approval of my wife. After that I loaded up the bird feeders, well at least I put out what seeds I had. A tube feeder with Niger seed, another a regular feeder with some other seeds; and a humming bird feeder with nectar. Then I remembered what I had forgotten at Home Depot - bird seed. I am all out of regular bird seed, so that means another trip this weekend to Home Depot - oh joy.


As for the wife, well my sweetheart was out there most of the time, if not longer than I was there. She planted a bunch of pretty flowers that we bought last weekend, and the ones I bought today. Once again we will have a nice small garden out front, and nice potted plants all around the house. We have a nice collection of Impatiens, Petunias, Geraniums, Black Eyed Susans, Rosie Cheeks Dianthus, Swan Yellow Columbine, Gaillardia Arizona Sun, Azaleas, and whatever else she has growing out there flower wise. We also have some that were here before we bought the place 12 or so years ago, including azaleas, rhododendrons (and 2 new ones I planted last fall),crocuses, and daffodils (these last two keep coming back year after year). It was also nice to see that my strawberry plants came to life again this year. Small lot that we have, it does have its share of nice flowers and trees.

So we got our gardening dome kind of separately, but together too, me on the tree and the veggies, and Linda on most of the flowers, and you have to admit she added a nice touch to the small front patio. It is kind of nice working together out in the garden, and then later seeing the result of our combined efforts. I only wish we could do as well with our front and back lawns as we do with all the other plants. I am just about ready to give up on grass. Anyone know a nice green lawn cover other than grass, or green concrete?


I guess now, all that is left is watering the garden and the lawn, oh yeah - the lawn! Well maybe, just maybe, I will tear out the grass in the front lawn for the third or fourth year in a row, turn the soil, add some lime and fertilizer, and reseed it again. It goes good for a while, then patches of it sort of die off before the fall. If it was up to me, river pebbles, and some nicely arranged flowers and shrubs would be the right thing to do; but of course the other half will not hear of it, so a grass lawn it will remain, even if it has almost no grass.

Enough of the garden stuff, I have other chores to get done. ater for the garden, and for you!


All the best,
Glenn B

Ouch...

...my neck and back just went snap, crackle, pop at the same time. Yeah, you guessed it, the first nice Saturday of April and I was at Home Depot earlier, then out in the yard the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon. Linda and I got a bunch of yard work done. Although the little gardens in the few spots around the perimeter of our front and back yards don't look like much yet, my neck and back are stiff and aching.

Most of that soreness is from sifting the compost pile. I got a good amount of compost and used some of it to mix into the soil where I will plant some veggies. I also already used some of it in pots, one pot with cherry tomatoes, and another with strawberries. My wife also used some of it in her flower garden and flower pots. I am curious to see if this compost will work better than potting soil and fertilizer. Time and my yield will tell. I planted one other tomato plant and a couple of basil plants to start off the season. I still have a long way to go. I will be starting somethings from seed this year, like radishes, beets, lettuce, spinach, green beans, and one or two others. Hopefully it is not too late to start any of them in this area fro seed. In the past I would have planted earlier this month, but this one has been a cold one.

As for the flowers, Linda and I picked out some nice petunias, marigolds, columbine, and geraniums. Its a start, but I am pretty certain at least one or two more trips to the garden center will be forthcoming in the next 2 weeks.

All the best,
Glenn B

Plans For The Weekend...

...have been made and promise to keep me busy. Yesterday was my wedding anniversary, and being it was a Thursday, my wife and I decided to wait until tomorrow to go out for a little celebrating. Before our Saturday gets anywhere near to that stage though, there are other things to do. I have to work on getting my 2005 taxes straightened out; it seems the IRS thinks we owe them $4,000.00 which we do not; stupid mistake on their part but a bit of a pain to resolve. Then maybe a trip to COSTCO to pick up groceries and supplies. After that, I have to go out to Home Depot, or maybe a gardening center, to pick up plants for this year's gardening projects. That should be just loads of fun on Saturday in April, I figure it will be elbow to elbow in the gardening department. Truth is though I would like to get most of the planting done tomorrow, so who knows, maybe I will go tonight to pick up the plants. I am figuring on tomatoes, green peppers (bell and a variety of hot), strawberries, lettuce, cabbage (maybe too late already), spinach, herbs, maybe some radishes and carrots too. That is for our very small vegetable garden. We will also pick up a few flats of flowers for the wife's baskets and flower garden. Of course, i can't forget the bird seed. I keep em well fed so they don't have to eat my plants. besides that, they sing nicely and eat lots of bugs too.

Once I get that out of the way, it should be just about time for an early dinner with my darling bride. Maybe, if she is in the mood, we will even go out for a movie. We have not been out to a movie or any kind of show together in several months, I guess since December. It should make for a nice evening together, I am looking forward to it; I hope she is too!

As for tonight, I think once I get my butt into gear, I may stop by the range for a few hundred rounds of 9mm pistol shooting. That will put me into a bit less traffic for the ride home from Manhattan. It will probably also help me to relax quite a bit - not a bad thing after a day at work, and better than stopping off for a few high balls and then driving home. The booze can wait until dinner tomorrow night, then the wife can drive, or we can walk.

Yep, that sounds like a plan to me. I just happen to have thought about all of this before leaving the house this morning, so I have a range bag right next to me. Inside of it I have:

300 Rounds Federal 115 gr. 9mm JHP

50 rounds of GoldDot 124 gr. 9mm GDHP

100 rounds of Champion 22 Long Rifle solid point standard velocity

50 rounds of PMC 22LR Scoremaster 40 gr solid point standard velocity

Some other partial boxes of assorted .22LR ammunition

A Beretta 92SB 9mm pistol

Ears, eyes and anything else I need.

I also have my issued Gock 19 in its holster on my belt, and a Henry Survival rifle in my sport bag. I guess you could say I am ready to have at least a short, but yet good, time at the range this evening. Thank goodness that Home Depot near me is open 24/7, I may still make it there tonight; and if not then I'll have to face the mobs of wanna be farmers, lawn masters, and horticulturists other suburban gardeners tomorrow.

Okay, that's all set, time for me to stop jabbering via the Internet, and get my other end and the rest of me, to the range! So I am off to the Westside Rifle and Pistol Range for an hour of so of fun. Later for you, bye.

All the best,
Glenn B