Weekend Walkabout: A Baby Bloomin' Babytoes, Goodbye Hermine, and Blackwork

So Hermine has said goodbye, the first landfalling hurricane here in 11 years. We had a lot of rain and wind, but thankfully, no storm surge on our sand dune.

I have a young Babytoes which is not like my other Babytoes- it's an aurantica! That means its flowers are quite yellow, although it could be a hybrid, as the petals are a light yellow, but not white:

Blooming Baby Babytoes, Aurantica Hybrid???

And I'm working hard on my Blackwork sampler, because I really loved the series "The Tudors", and the magnificent blackwork embroidery in those linen undershirts caught my eye. One of the women in my embroidery group took pity on me and gave me a full course on blackwork embroidery from the 1970s, and this is where I'm at with it:

It's extremely painstaking and meticulous work, but very rewarding. May take several months, but I'll get it! In the meantime, happy gardening and creating!

Weekend Walkabout: Munin the Fish Crow and the Bloomin' Babytoes

Babytoes bloomed today, just in time for the weekend. And I finished a difficult painting, a tiny little thing that has been bugging me for months (another in my New Orleans Wall Fragment series), so I put them together for a mini-portrait:

Bloomin' Babytoes with New Orleans Wall Fragment 2, MRobb, 2016

After a whole month of drought, we got a lot of rain (phew, no more evening waterings!), so I thought I'd publish a portrait of Munin, our resident Fish Crow Patriarch and Way Cool Corvid, enjoying the rain on my fence- have I mentioned that Fish Crows are as intelligent as chimps?

Munin in Rain, MRobb, 2016

Here's a more regular portrait of Munin, singing on the balcony while I play my HAPI drum:

Munin at Dawn, MRobb, 2016

And finally, a new soul window, from an indigo center to a bright yellow outer ring. This one will go to the winner of our local poetry contest:

Soul Window, Indigo to Yellow, MRobb, 2016

Have a wonderful weekend and happy gardening!

Bloomin' Babytoes Meets...The Monster!

I'm supposed to be making ceramic dishes and pencil holders this weekend, you know, serious stuff. And they need to be finished by late next week. But I'm distracted by a bloomin' Babytoes, the first of spring 2016!

Babytoes Blooms in 2016, MRobb

There it sits, right in the window of my studio, distracting me with its cheerful beauty. So instead of making serious pots, I made...the Monster!

The Monster! Greenware MRobb 2016

Yes, yes, I know, I'll get to work now. Have a wonderful weekend and happy gardening!

Babytoes Blooms in 2015, Too!

The summer heat is on and Fenestraria, aka Babytoes, is celebrating by...you can guess this...blooming! She starts around dawn and her blooms are in full glory by breakfast time:

Babytoes hails from Namaqualand, Africa, and is grown just like all other mesembs--well-draining, rather poor soil, lots of sun, not too much water. She's been cheering me for years now, and her blooms never cease. Hurray for Babytoes!

Bloomin' Babytoes Returns

It's been while since I posted a photo of one of my very prolific Babytoes (Fenestraria), so here goes:

Fenestraria in Bloom, MR, 2014

These cheerful mesembs never fail to make me smile....

Playtime!

Last month, I made a pledge to myself to spend more time with the photos I already have, and to stop piling on so many new ones. I've been doing...okay with that, I guess. I have been using my old manual Nikon (an ancient film camera), and it's been lots of fun. And I've started learning Corel PaintShop Pro, also fun. Just playing around with some of my favorite Lithops and Babytoes shots has been an interesting experience....

A Bold, Posterized Babytoes, MR 2013

And an even bolder Lithops in blue. I did say blue was going to be the in color for Lithops this year, didn't I? Hmmm....
OK, back to the photo lab before Monday intrudes!

Thursday's Bits 'n Bobs

My Lithops seedlings are now yearlings, and it's been extraordinary to watch them grow up. From about 100 seeds I've got about a dozen strong Lithops, each about 1cm across. I don't know if 12% is a good rate or a rotten rate, but 12 new Lithops is about all I have space for anyway.... Here are three:

My giant Russian Sunflowers are doing well, despite storms, salty spray, and high winds. They are tough! Several are already showing a flower bud at the center:

And of course, what would spring be without Blooming Babytoes??

Things are humming along in the ceramics studio. Here's a little flower sprite, getting a second coat of glaze:

Hope things are humming along in your neck of the woods!

A Quick and Chaotic Weekend Update

It's been a great Mothers' Day Weekend here, with lots of funny family stuff going on. So just a quick, chaotic weekend update for the Lithops and other Odd Plants:

The Lithops Releaf-a-rama is over 90% complete now, and it's been amazing to witness the regeneration of these normally quiet, inobtrusive plants.  I'll have a separate post on the effect of light in the regeneration of different species; I was surprised there was so much variation. Some new Lithops are leggy, some are squat, all with the same amount of light. That's the sound bite.

The Catasetum I bought at the orchid show is still alive. That's good! I'm following the instructions given to the letter. I hope it lives long and prospers....

And what's better than one blooming Babytoes? Two blooming Babytoes! You just gotta love these guys.
Now I have to rest after the Big Brunch with the Big Bunch. Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Weekend Update: Tiny Alien Lands on Earth...

...and requests a Blooming Babytoes!

Alien Visitor Poses With His New Babytoes.

After receiving his very own Fenestraria, he left for his home planet. Enjoy your new life, Babytoes!

Might explain how Fenestraria got to Earth in the first place, or maybe my garden sculpting project is just getting out of hand (and off-world).

Have a great weekend!

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....

Lazy Sundays Never Last Long....

But I sure wish they did! This weekend, just hanging out with the exuberant Babytoes Family,

and replanting the Panda Plant, because it's doubled in size and doesn't fit even my biggest indoor pot anymore. If it can't fit on the windowsill, it must go outside! Fortunately, kalanchoes of all sorts do very well outdoors here. Three daughter plants are growing out there already.

And what would this time of year be without elementary school science experiments in preparation for the Annual Science Fair? Here is the infamous "Celery Experiment" percolating in the window. Pretty colors!

And finally, more garden sculptures, newly formed and drying in the sun. Off to the kiln next week, wahaha! My garden grows stranger all the time. Must be all the oxygen I get to breathe with so many plants around. Have a great weekend!

Radical Mesemb Surgery: The Results

The surgery on my Gibbaeum mysterioso was successful. I now have a happy, thriving little unidentified succulent:

Unidentified Gibbaeum

And to celebrate the happy outcome, Babytoes is blooming again! (Well, she can't exactly heft a "Congratulations" sign, can she? ;-)

Blooming Fenestraria

Hope your Monday is a peaceful one. See you for Pensive Tuesday!