Dalbergia sissoo - Indian Rosewood (Photograph found on the Internet)

Word of the Day

Differentiality - The practice of being different.

We've been busy. HTP and I went out and bought some replacement plants to plant in our yard. We replaced the dead tree in the front of our house with a Dalbergia Sissoo (Indian Rosewood). It's supposed to withstand some fairly cold temperatures but if it really gets cold like last winter? My neighbor planted two of these trees in the front of her house last year...before the freeze...and although they lost all their leaves, they came back just fine. I wish I could say the same for my Brazilian Pepper trees. Oh well...I only lost the one...so far. I need to go out and stake our new tree a bit better. It seems to be drooping a bit. Weak trunk syndrome. That happens when a tree depends a bit too much on a splint/stake when it's growing up. I removed the splint and it looks like I need to re-splint the poor tree for a bit until it gets used to standing on its own a bit better. My passive wind support stakes are doing the trick.

Aside from planting the above tree....we replaced the blue hibiscus that croaked over the summer with a Red Fairy Duster. Again, the blue hibiscus was another victim of last winter's freeze...the really cold and the really hot were just too much for it. I think the fairy duster will be a bit more hardy than the blue hibiscus. I'm also hoping that last winter's freezing temperatures were an anomaly.

Lastly, we replaced a dead pygmy date palm in our backyard with a Mediterranean Fan Palm. I noticed that the Mediterranean Fan Palm in our front yard wasn't bothered at all when it came to our freezing temperatures last winter. HTP and I do not want to spend every fall and spring replacing landscape plants. This is becoming a back-breaking annual event for us and we've both noticed that we aren't getting any younger.

However, I did buy some petunias to plant near our fountain. I don't mind planting a few colorful annuals to enjoy during our winter months here even though planting things here plays total havoc on my hands. The soil here tends to mummify your hands and I don't always remember to bath them in lotions. I'm starting to lose hope on annual flowers here in Arizona. At least, I'm afraid that I haven't had much luck when it comes to annuals near our fountain. I don't think they like it there. I'm hoping that petunias will like it there a bit better than everything else I've tried. I may see if I can find a couple of hanging baskets to add some color. I already have a double shepherd's crook out in back that I used to have for hummingbird feeders. Only...I'm a bit burned out on hummingbird feeders right now from all the hummingbird nectar I ended up making while at The Lake. I think I'll take a break from the hummingbirds. They still seem to come and visit anyway. Bathing in our fountain.

Aside from our landscape repair work, HTP and I had someone come to look at our patio. HTP and I are wondering which of us will be closer to what the actual estimate comes in at. We'll see. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, I've got to keep all those paint flakes cleaned up or a certain baby puppy will put them in her mouth.

Speaking of baby puppies, Gypsy has been given a clean bill of health. No parasites. I didn't think she had any but it's always good to make sure. She's an active little girl and seems to like to put everything in her mouth right now. She loves to chew on everything and it's not easy to keep a constant eye on her. Landscape gravel, paint chips, the towel in her kennel, the lambskin that lines her baskets, my sweatshirt, and somehow her dog tags and collar? .... Yes, she does have chew toys. She munches on them too. She's a baby. I'm sure she'll grow out of this phase eventually. She loves to play and clown about which is great fun to watch.

Murphyism of the Day

Shaw's Maxim

Virtue is insufficient temptation.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains.

-- Dutch Proverb