Freaky Friday the 13th: A Miscellany

I'm working on  parts III and IV of Tillandsia care, and I've got a great new monthly post coming on Sunday; it will be a tasty surprise! But for Freaky Friday the 13th, I've got a random collection of images I haven't been able to fit into the blog yet, so... it's Irrelevant Picture Time!

My last batch of ceramics features a new technique I made up. I carve a linoblock (this one is a 5x7 of my sunflower garden from this summer), imprint it onto wet stoneware clay, fire, and glaze. I think it worked rather well, and I'll keep trying new designs like this. I love carving linoblocks, but don't have much use for plain prints on paper. This gives the blocks new life.

I've got a number of my paintings on exhibit at our county library for a few months. This means there's more space in my studio to paint! Bwahaha....

I may have posted this lovely cottontail before, but I don't care, I love bunnies. For all you fellow rabbit fans, here's a portrait of a local English Angora, looking exceptionally fluffy....

Snuggle angora rabbits, don't wear them!

As you may notice, these sweet creatures have little to do with gardening, except for maybe the fact that bunny poop makes a wonderful soil builder. Not that Tillandsias would care about that. Let's see if I can find one more completely irrelevant image for the weekend....

Our sea-turtle nesting season went reasonably well this year, despite a lot of shore erosion that left little space for the nests. Here's the empty shell from one of the last hatchlings to leave for the sea...good luck, little guy!

Well, that's enough miscellany for now. I'm off to photograph some Lithops and Tillies....

Another Bloomin' Weekend Update

Another spring weekend has sprung here on my sand dune, and there's lots of blooming going on!

Our wildflowers are in their full glory, as are the cacti....

This Parodia herteri (or uebelmanniana, it's been identified as both, help!) has enchanted everyone, after I've dragged them across the yard to see it.

Even my Crotons are blooming, and I've heard from several longtime gardeners, "Crotons never bloom...." I beg to differ!

And of course, Pleiospilos nelii is doing its best to bloom-

Native wildlife are everywhere, having fun in my yard and garden. These ibises, sacred birds of Ancient Egypt, came to visit this week and enjoy a nice brunch--

As did some Eastern Cottontails. I think they nibbled on my sunflower seedlings, but then, the sunflower patch had to be thinned out anyway....

To all my readers, have a beautiful and peaceful weekend!

Weekend News For Lithops

For many of us, this is a holiday weekend, with lots of socializing and time with the family. And what would a spring festival be without regenerating Lithops?

Regenerating...or not.

My mulching is finished. I'll be starting some African daisies, Berzelias, and Cotyledon orbiculatas this weekend. What are you all planting/germinating/propagating in your indoor and outdoor gardens?

For those of you who celebrate Easter/Pasqua/Paques/etc.. have a very blessed holiday!

Collage by Judy Hutson, Texas,USA

And for those who do not, have a wonderful weekend, and yes, you get bunny love, too!

by Helen Campbell, WA, USA

 And because there's no such thing as too much bunny love....

"The Bunns" by MR, 2011

Pensive Tuesday: Lithops, Not Lagomorphs

Easter season and Spring Break are upon us! Just a public service message from Lagomorphia today:

I support our local rabbit rescue shelter, so I am sending out the word at this time of year, don't buy someone a pet bunny as an Easter gift unless you know they can handle a ten-year commitment to a pet that is as wonderful as, and as high-maintenance as, a cat or dog. Most pet Easter bunnies are soon abandoned to be killed by a car or predator, or die quickly because they are fed the wrong diet (they eat hay and greens, and that's it), or are confined to solitary prison in a small cage in a backyard or garage. That's just so wrong. Instead of a bunny, how about a chocolate bunny, or better yet....

A blooming Babytoes! Or even...

A cheerfully flowering Mammillaria! Or even...

Lithops! Those leaves do look a little like bunny ears, now that I think about it. Let's start a new gift-giving tradition for the spring holidays. It's sure to catch on eventually....