Last Days of August

It looks like I have a whole bunch of tomatoes that are going to ripen all at once.

I had three promising brown eyed susan plants sprout up. Then one vanished. A day or two later the best one vanished and now there is just one left. By vanished I mean you can't even tell it was ever there. So I put a cut out styrofoam cup over the last one to keep it from snails, slugs, and birds. Sigh. I just need one to grow up the trellis.

Lots of other things are blooming: the moss rose, the striped roses, the lantana, sea lavender, and some of the succulents.

I'm turning this gourd I grew in the garden into a rain stick too.

Grasshopper

I have a feeling that this is what's been eating my peppers. Look at the size of this guy. Click on the photo to see all the details.

My Backyard and I

I'm glad it's cooling off as we head toward autumn. Soon all the leaves on the tree above me will be falling into my yard.

The house behind me is where the family from India lives. They are the noisiest people ever and seem to live in their backyard where their kids scream all the day long. I try to sit out there and read or write in my journal but usually I just get frustrated and go back inside. They are also up all night pounding on the walls, hanging out on their patio and talking loudly or smoking. If I had the money I'd move tomorrow. People are so unaware of how much their noise impacts others or they just don't care.

Mostly Roses

It was such a perfect weather day I couldn't resist taking some photos of my roses and tomatoes to share.
My brown eyed susans have also sprouted so I'm crossing my fingers that they will survive their infancy.

Hummingbird

I was sitting outside reading when I heard my hummingbird come back. And this time I had the camera. So now I can show you instead of nattering on about it.

Hummingbird Siting

After waiting months for a hummingbird to use the feeder I inherited, I changed back to the sugar/water mixture instead of the store bought powder, painted the metal flowers red, and hung a red flower on the feeder. Then yesterday I saw my first hummingbird taking a big long drink. Success finally! It was a tan color, not like the shiny ones I usually see. I hope it makes my feeder a regular stop.

Sadly though the arrowhead plant I put in the aquarium has gone to pieces. My terrarium is doing okay though. At first it was too wet, then too dry. Now the sides are fogged up so at least the plants are hurting for water.

Portulaca

I got up early this morning to plant the moss rose before it got hot. Funny plant, it's neither a moss nor a rose. It's a succulent called Portulaca. I planted it around the Anaheim peppers to help keep them moist in their pot.

I'm also fixing the hummingbird feeder. The packaged mix didn't attract any birds, so I'm just dissolving sugar in water. We'll see how that goes instead. All the red had faded from the feeder lid, so I tied a fake red rose to the pole instead, since I don't want to use any food coloring or additives in the mixture itself. I love hummingbirds. I'm sad that I don't have any hummingbird nests this year.

Here are some directions on how to grow it. http://www.ehow.com/how_6766_grow-moss-rose.html

Moss Rose

My mother loved moss roses and I haven't had any in quite a while. I couldn't resist getting some yesterday at the nursery. I'm going to plant them in with my Anaheim Chilis to help keep the soil moist. They seem to love that spot.

I also got my terrarium finished. I added a prayer plant and a pink polka dot plant. I'm still trying to get the moisture just right. When I opened it to plant the new plants, there was some mold, so I let some of the moisture out today. Only then it looked too dry so I put the plastic back over the top. I'll get it balanced right sooner or later.

I also picked a big tomato and had it in the salad tonight.