Oops, I Did It Again

Motocactus magnificus--and isn't it?

This cactus had three tiny buds last week and now...

Oh, noooooooo!

I feared this would happen. First I joined a cacti and succulent group. Then I poked fun at them. Then I found myself shopping for new succulent plants. Then, and this is the part I feared most--I made a label for the pot: "pleiospilos nelii." Yes, I've stooped to labeling succulents. The next thing you know, I'll be trying to grow them from seed. I wonder if there is a support group. I could organize one. CSA--Cacti and Succulents Anonymous. Anyway, after I planted the five pleiospilos nelii into a pretty red pot, I covered the sand and gravel with my best aqua pebbles. Somebody stop me!

Texas Star Hibiscus

When I bought this plant last year, I asked the owner of the nursery if it was the "infamous Texas star hibiscus." She laughed and said it was indeed. This plant's leaves look so much like marijuana leaves that supposedly some gardeners have been "busted" for growing it.

Mine started blooming this week and it has gobs of buds. It's between five and six feet tall, so if you get one, allow plenty of room!

It's appropriately named because it has star shapes front, back and center and the leaves are stars, too (well, sort of). It dies to the ground in winter but comes back with a vengeance in the spring.

This agapanthus cracks me up! It is trying so hard to open, but it looks like it is wearing a little bonnet.

The one next to it is almost open. The color is just spectacular!

My Father's Encyclopedias

While cleaning my sewing room, I came across my father's 1934 World Book encyclopedias, as well as my own 1961 Collier's edition. He was 10 years old when he got his books and I was 11. My grandmother kept his until she felt I was old enough to take good care of them. As a child, I spent many hours carefully turning the yellowed pages, studying the odd photos and drawings. Look how much bigger the 1961 stack is than the 1934! Oh, and to the left is a dictionary that was a gift from a guy I was dating in 1979, right before I met Mike. How many people you know have received dictionaries as a token of affection?

In the 1934 World Book, there is only one entry for "World War" because, of course, there had been only one prior to 1934. Here is a photo of the "Leaders of the Allied Powers" and the "Leaders of the Central Powers."

The section on Frank Lloyd Wright is one short paragraph, and begins: "Wright, Frank Lloyd (1869- )" because he was still living, as was Orville Wright (1871- ). Interesting stuff.