Growth

Other than a lack of rain in the afternoons, we are really close to summer. The temps are in the upper 80's and the lows are in the low 70's. We did have some rain Sunday morning and a brief shower this afternoon, but it was next to nothing in the rain gauge. However, the plants and flowers are spectacularly beautiful. The second of our gardenia bushes is in full flower. If the scent were edible, it would be completely decadent! Our Rangoon Creeper (what a misnomer - it doesn't creep, it lunges!) is flowering also. Flowers are white in the morning when they first open and by afternoon they are pink. The second day they turn red and maybe last a third day. I have already trimmed it back once, and it will need more pruning in another week. A neighbor down the block gave us a small datura. They are in the brugmansia family and related to nightshade. The bush can get 10 to 15 feet high and has bell shaped flowers about nine inches long. This variety has a pale throat that shades into pink on the bell end. I planted it in the back yard near the west end; it's close to the laurel oak but will get sun in the morning and late afternoon. I'll post a picture when it blooms, but for now check out this site: http://www.abads.net/

The bamboo we planted in early January have both sent up new culms. The Asian Lemon culm is about 3 weeks old and over six feet high. I noticed a new 3 inch culm for the Black Timor today and it is no more than two days old. Each succeeding culm will grow higher than the older ones. Asian Lemon grows to about 25 feet high, and the Black Timor can reach 40 feet...we'll see about that!
We have 11 days of school left with the kids. They are hanging in there quite well. This is the last full week of school. Man, this year flew by quickly!
Gayle and I are hosting a Wednesday evening Bible study for three young Christians in our church. We have supper together and then look at some themes by way of verses. We're trying to get at a Christian world & life view. Last week's topic was Who is God? and this week we will look at Who am I? We had a work morning at the new church last Saturday, and a couple dozen volunteers spruced things up nicely. We still have many things to do. When a new group comes in with fresh eyes, there are a great many things that can be done...a little at a time. We will have two adult baptisms in a couple of weeks, and we continue to have new people come to our service on Sunday.

The new Black Timor culm is a little hard to see, but it's on the left side of the picture. A caladium shoot is between the culm and the two original canes.

Woo Hoo!

Finished the gates, mulched the new plantings -- both red cedar and the two bamboos, and did some bush trimming. And watched the Packers beat the Seahawks 42 - 20 in the snow at Lambeau Field! Double woo hoo! I wore my new Favre jersey for the game. Thank you, Elliott Hammond, for a great Christmas present!

Great Week-end

I finished the two new gates on the west side of the house...actually, I have to get a sheet of lattice yet and screw some to each of the gate fronts, but we're close. Gayle got a small red cedar from her kids, and it was loaded with cards and gifts. She took the goodies off and we planted it next to our bathroom window. We drove out to Groveland Friday afternoon; it's about 30 miles west of Orlando. There was a bamboo nursery there and I had my eye on a variety to replace the palm tree I had cut down. This nursery was about 15 acres and neatly put together. When we got on site, I had the feeling that there was a whole 'nother area of plant life that was waiting for me! I was looking for a clumping bamboo called Black Timor. It has black culms and gets 45 ft tall. The proprietor, a woman, asked some questions about the space we had, what our yard was like, and the led us on a tour of a number of bamboo varieties. She explained the pros and cons of each and steered us to a number of more upright varieties -- one was the Black Timor. Gayle caught a glimpse of a yellow variety with a green stripe called Asian Lemon. So we got one of each, Black Timor and Asian Lemon. The Asian Lemon gets about 25 ft high and grows quickly. The Black Timor is a slower grower and is somewhat sensitive to cold. All in all, I think we have a good combination of bamboo for a small back yard.

Saturday we took a trip on the bike with three friends. We left at 7 AM and rode north to Orange City and Blue Spring State Park. Because of the cool weather the previous few days, the manatees were back in numbers; we saw over 50 in the spring's waters. We rode north for another 30 minutes to Barberville, the kitsch capital of Florida. There is a business on the corner of the main road that has more statuary and goofy welded stuff than any two other places I've ever seen. Our friends were suitably awed and we moved on east to Ormond Beach. We had Elevensies and then rode the Ormond Loop, a 23 mile trip up the beach and then back down along the Halifax River on a two lane road lined with Southern Oaks that have overgrown the road...beautifully Kodak! We then drove south on US 1 to New Smyrna Beach and then back to Orlando. We had rain a few times, but it did nothing to dampen a great day. Got home around 2:30 after 185 miles, tired and happy.