Dragon's Orchid Garden

Plants put on spectacular shows in their efforts to attract pollinators, much like some humans.  One of the strangest is Ceropegia sandersonii, or parachute vine.  This plant belongs to the milkweed family.  We almost lost ours to the extended Florida freeze this year, but managed to save part of the undamaged vine.  The flower looks very much like a parachute: From Dragon's Orchid Garden From Dragon's Orchid Garde Another oddball denizen of our backyard is a Stepalia gigantea, gifted to us by our friend Carl. It's another member of the milkweed family. Its flowers give it the popular name "Giant Carrion Flower".  We have several of them now, as they root easily from cuttings.  Fetid flowers form from large buds on the leafless succulent branches, attracting flies with their stink.  I really don't recommend you stick your nose in one of these... From Dragon's Orchid Garden From Dragon's Orchid Garden Orchid flowers can easily com...

Every year about this time the Voodoo Lilies begin to grow.  They were here when we bought our house in 1992, and have since been moved to another part of the garden.  In 1992, there was no garden, just dirt and sand and these odd tubers. I've since found information about them in several books.  We are gradually making our little backyard into our vision of a tropical paradise.  In this vision, strange flowers, night bloomers, odd shapes and weird inflorescences abound.  Voodoo lilies, also popularly called devil's tongue, corpse flowers or arum, are related to Jack-in-the-pulpit and Amorphophallus titanium (Titan Arum). The Titan Arum first flowered in the western hemisphere at the New York Botanical Gardens in August 1937.  According to Bizarre Plants by William A. Emboden, "Visitors other than scientists and reporter-photographers were so numerous that they had to file by the greenhouse and view the the 'beast' through the glass panes.  Had they...

I am introducing Dr. Mack Hicks, author of Digital Pandemic  tomorrow at the library.  He will be there signing and talking about his new book.  As a psychologist, his concern is that our immersion in digital technology has caused us to become increasingly reclusive.  In the book, he lays out a plan whereby we can regain our connection with ourselves, others and our environment.  I do plan to read the book, but only found out I was doing this 4 days ago.  Tonight, I quickly painted this t-shirt to wear (we're allowed casual wear on Fridays and weekends).  It would have come out better if I'd used iron on letters.  I hand painted it and it's not very applelike (meaning perfect).  It occurs to me that an outline of a book with a bite taken out of it would be a great logo.  I'll do another one and take more time with it.  Thanks to Robert Balliot, Ocean State Librarian , for the phrase.

What would be more embarrassing than having a parade of servers veer toward your table clapping and singing a cheezy Happy Birthday ditty, you...trying to look inconspicuous and failing miserably?  How about having your wife post a blog that's all about the wonderfulness of you?  Yep, that should do it. Today is the birthday of my husband, best friend, love of my life, my Nailcakes.  Wayne is more handsome today than the day I met him.  Exhibit A: Wayne can do anything.  He can build a pond, fix his truck (not mine, it's new and requires a computer to figure out what's wrong and computers are not his thing), play nurse to sick cats, and repair a cuckoo clock.  He reminds me to take my vitamins, eat, wake up, stop playing that stupid game!  He gave me two great kids, with no effort required on my part.  They came with the deal.  If I'd gone through labor pains with them (thanks to their mom for that), I'd love them no more than I do now. ...