Recent Events
Our sun room is an aromatic delight. Several days ago I noticed a flower stalk on a round leaf sanseveria. Tonight when I entered the room I immediately noticed the scent. The flowers have opened and the room is filled with a wonderful fragrance.
Round leaf sanseveria in bloom.
Julie bought the plant on a trip to Amarillo two or three years ago. It had four arrow straight round leaves perfectly aligned in a unnatural row. After a period of time new leaves began to sprout and the original leaves began to curve. I know some people cut the new leaves and attempt to keep the perfection created by the nursery. I prefer things natural. I let the leaves grow and curl and change shape from round to oval. The smooth surfaces developed long depressions between high ridges. I had it hanging high above the counter. When the leaves touched the ceiling I lowered it to give it more room. Sanseverias bloom when crowded and I didn't expect it to blossom since it seems to have ample room. It has been a pleasant surprise. What the flower lacks in showiness it more than compensates with fragrance.
Our Christmas Cactus is blooming but I anticipated this. It blooms each year just before Thanksgiving. It seems a more appropriate name would be Thanksgiving Cactus.
Last weekend we began remodeling the living room. We removed the furniture, carpet, window and door casing, baseboard and crown molding. I did some drywall work and created a materials list. Tomorrow I'm purchasing laminate flooring, paint and new trim. Julie and I are taking a day off Thursday to work in the room. Hopefully, this weekend we'll texture the walls, paint, install beaded paneling, chair rail, flooring and much of the casing, base and crown molding.
In addition to beginning work on the living room we installed a cell phone repeater. The repeater that we bought in the summer worked fairly well but after six power supplies failed we returned it and the manufacturer refunded our money. We researched another brand that is more expensive with a better reputation. The repeater is working and is giving excellent service. It has better construction and better service. We are getting four bars on the cell phone with a signal strength of -60db. We're going to wait another ten days and if all is well we'll replace our oldest cell phone. This will enable us to remove the original antenna and retire the Dock-N-Talk. There are other benefits to this solution. Visitors will have cell service and we can investigate installing a hotspot for Internet access. This will eliminate the need for satellite service. We'll get better and faster access for less money up front and less expense per month.
I've bought two new books. The first is The Man Who Walked Through Time: The Story of the First Trip Afoot Through the Grand Canyon by Colin Fletcher. This is a old book that I've know about for a long time. I found a copy for $2.50 and bought it on impulse. The second book is The Evolution of Everything: How Selection Shapes Culture, Commerce, and Nature by Mark Sumner. This was another impulse buy and a used book store.
I realized I left two recently read books off my reading list. I've corrected this omission and added The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan and Raising Fences: A Black Man's Love Story by Michael Datcher.
Today I received the first 2012 seed catalog! Thank you Pinetree Garden Seeds.
And finally: We've made reservations at a resort in Tucson for Thanksgiving weekend. It's been a few years since we've been to Tucson. We're planning a relaxing trip of swimming and hiking.
That's the summary of recent events in my small corner of paradise.
Round leaf sanseveria in bloom.
Julie bought the plant on a trip to Amarillo two or three years ago. It had four arrow straight round leaves perfectly aligned in a unnatural row. After a period of time new leaves began to sprout and the original leaves began to curve. I know some people cut the new leaves and attempt to keep the perfection created by the nursery. I prefer things natural. I let the leaves grow and curl and change shape from round to oval. The smooth surfaces developed long depressions between high ridges. I had it hanging high above the counter. When the leaves touched the ceiling I lowered it to give it more room. Sanseverias bloom when crowded and I didn't expect it to blossom since it seems to have ample room. It has been a pleasant surprise. What the flower lacks in showiness it more than compensates with fragrance.
Our Christmas Cactus is blooming but I anticipated this. It blooms each year just before Thanksgiving. It seems a more appropriate name would be Thanksgiving Cactus.
Last weekend we began remodeling the living room. We removed the furniture, carpet, window and door casing, baseboard and crown molding. I did some drywall work and created a materials list. Tomorrow I'm purchasing laminate flooring, paint and new trim. Julie and I are taking a day off Thursday to work in the room. Hopefully, this weekend we'll texture the walls, paint, install beaded paneling, chair rail, flooring and much of the casing, base and crown molding.
In addition to beginning work on the living room we installed a cell phone repeater. The repeater that we bought in the summer worked fairly well but after six power supplies failed we returned it and the manufacturer refunded our money. We researched another brand that is more expensive with a better reputation. The repeater is working and is giving excellent service. It has better construction and better service. We are getting four bars on the cell phone with a signal strength of -60db. We're going to wait another ten days and if all is well we'll replace our oldest cell phone. This will enable us to remove the original antenna and retire the Dock-N-Talk. There are other benefits to this solution. Visitors will have cell service and we can investigate installing a hotspot for Internet access. This will eliminate the need for satellite service. We'll get better and faster access for less money up front and less expense per month.
I've bought two new books. The first is The Man Who Walked Through Time: The Story of the First Trip Afoot Through the Grand Canyon by Colin Fletcher. This is a old book that I've know about for a long time. I found a copy for $2.50 and bought it on impulse. The second book is The Evolution of Everything: How Selection Shapes Culture, Commerce, and Nature by Mark Sumner. This was another impulse buy and a used book store.
I realized I left two recently read books off my reading list. I've corrected this omission and added The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan and Raising Fences: A Black Man's Love Story by Michael Datcher.
Today I received the first 2012 seed catalog! Thank you Pinetree Garden Seeds.
And finally: We've made reservations at a resort in Tucson for Thanksgiving weekend. It's been a few years since we've been to Tucson. We're planning a relaxing trip of swimming and hiking.
That's the summary of recent events in my small corner of paradise.
posted by Paul at 9:43 PM
2 Comments:
I've never seen a sanseveria in bloom. How wonderful! I also have not kept one because I didn't care for their stiff appearance. Now that I've seen what one can become, suddenly I have just the right spot for it!
I'll be interested in watching for your research on the internet hot spot. I didn't realize individuals might have one.
Colin Fletcher is a name I haven't seen in years, and that book was on my reading list decades ago--and still not read! (So many, many books.)
Thank you for the reminder.
The Botany of Desire was a good read; I hope you'll enjoy it.
Don't know why I thought of you this morning, but I'm glad to read that you're doing well - and I enjoy your blog.
I also note that you make a concerted effort to do things you enjoy: whether going out hiking, or working on your home, or reading a book. For me there's a lot of satisfaction in doing things and in being able (possessing the skill and knowledge) to do them. It beats the heck out of feeling helpless to change anything.
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