We lived in New Hampshire for a few years when I was a kid. Every spring after the snow finally melted, the lilac bush in our backyard would bloom. Lilacs must need that cold winter because you rarely see them here in southern California. In fact, I've only seen lilacs in a store once. Until today. Today they had some at Trader Joe's. They were grown in California and smell just as wonderful as I remember. Aren't they lovely?
*Disclaimer* This is by no means meant as a scientific article. I am not a botanist, nor do I have much of a green thumb. I have no idea if my little trees will survive this winter let alone grow into blooming magnolia trees. But at least something grew from the seeds.
This summer the magnolia trees near my neighborhood pool smelled so fabulous I decided I wanted to plant some. A little research on the trusty old internet lead me to this Magnolia Seed Pod site by Linda Nix. Encouraged by her easy to follow steps I waited for the seed pods to ripen.
Here's my method (remember the disclaimer - YMMV).
1. Obtain ripened seed pod. The bright red seeds should be bursting out.
2. Remove the seeds and soak them overnight in some water to soften the tough outer skin.
3. Remove the outer red seed coat. Some seeds will pop out when squeezed at one end. Inside there is a slimy tan seed that reminded me of a pine nut. Sorry I forgot to photograph this step.
4. Wash the seeds to remove the oily coating. I figure this part must be done by the digestive tracts of animals that eat the seeds.
5. I planted my seeds in reconstituted individual peat pellets like these:
Then placed them in my makeshift growing container (a glass baking dish covered with plastic wrap).
6. It had been several MONTHS and I was about to throw the whole experiment out when I saw a little plant emerging. A few days later the leaves popped out..
7. At the first sign of leaves, I removed the plant from the makeshift grower and planted it in a pot in some soil. It's now sitting by a window and has since been joined by another pot with another seedling. I see two more emerging and a few more have roots. I have know idea what I'll do with them once they grow too big for pots. I don't have much of a yard.
Any takers?
Since we moved into our house several years ago we keep finding these little critters. One will be scooting across the floor like pictured, or hanging on the wall in our garage. At first we just found a case/covering every once in a while, then one day I saw one moving and noticed the worm. I've never seen anything like it and have no idea what it could be or where it comes from. Maybe it's some sort of larva?
The case is tough and gritty and looks made of sand. The one pictured also seems to have some type of fuzz stuck to it. The little worm pulls the case along like a snail with a shell. Since I have no clue what it could be, I don't know whether it is harmful or not. We find them more often in the summer and even then only about once a week. Strange.
We have a coin jar where we dump our change at the end of the day to make pockets and purses lighter. It was getting a bit full and since our credit union has a coin machine that counts the change for you for no fee, providing you're a member, I decided to cash in our coins.
Coins are heavy. I somehow managed to lift that jar just enough to pour the coins into 3 quart-size zip top bags. It was about half the coins, but that's all I wanted to carry at once.
In all, I cashed in about $200 in coins. Not bad! That spare change really adds up.
My sister and I stayed the night in a miniature house at a campsite near Lake Manapouri in New Zealand and thought it was cooler than sliced bread. I'm not sure of the square footage, but I was reminded of it today when I read The Next Little Thing? in today's New York Times. We were completely enamoured with the house even though it didn't have it's own bathroom. The camp owner's son built it and the details in the woodwork were lovely. I'm not sure how I'd manage living in one as my sole residence, but I like the focus on smaller houses. Some people are out of control! A few houses down from my older sister is a house built for 2 people that is about 10,000 square feet. Is that really necessary? This is the house in New Zealand. Isn't it adorable?
I have a binder I use to I keep all my recipes that I've gathered from varied sources, but it's a mess. For ages I've been planning to clean it out, organize it, and actually make it usable. Now I've found Taste Book and I'm motivated to get started.
Taste Book lets you custom make your own recipe book. You pick the name and cover. They are partnered with Epicurious, a fabulous site with tested recipes from Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazines. Each cookbook comes with 100 recipes you choose from their collection using a simple drag and drop. You can also add your own personal recipes. The books are designed like binders so you can add to them or change things in the future.
This would also make a great wedding or housewarming gift. You can start the book with some of your favorites and let them fill it with their own.
Create a personal cookbook and save $10 at TasteBook.com
With all the critters that have been hanging around my house lately, you would think I lived out in the country instead of suburbia central. First, there were the cannibalistic lizards. Now this week we've been spotting crawlies all over our house. Some are welcome, others not so much.
We have a black widow in our garage. I'm not sure what the plan of action is to get rid of it. So far my boyfriend has knocked down the larger web which made it retreat into the crevice. It's barely coming back out. Its future doesn't look good.
I found this dapper looking katydid on my pineapple sage. He was happy to have his photo taken.
I think he's smiling!
This little hummingbird dive-bombed me when I was picking weeds. I'm hoping there's a nest nearby. Baby hummingbirds would be so adorable!
There were several lucky ladybugs. Maybe a neighbor released some for pest control. I'm happy to have them.
You can view all my visitors in my Critters and Creepy Crawlies album.
Trevor Baylis is the guy who invented the wind-up radio and now he brings us an eco media player. Here's why I am completely fascinated by it:
I haven't used it so I can't vouch for sound or functionality and I know it won't be converting ipod lovers based on it's looks, but the idea is awesome.
Spent too much money on pressies and nothing left for decorating the house? Tired of making the same paper snowflakes you've been making since grade school? These 3D paper snowflakes are quite impressive and not that difficult. Make them in various sizes and colors to hang around your house. Decorate with glitter and sequins if you like the sparkle. I made one out of plain white printer paper and it came out fabulous. Quite impressive! Go on, I know you can do it!
