Sunday Selections

I've lost track of the numbers, for me this is #357, others are ahead since I missed a few weeks.


Begun way back in the mist of time by Kim of Frog Ponds Rock and now continued by me, with a drastic relaxation of rules.
Originally meant for showcasing old photos lost on your files, never seeing the light of day, the meme has morphed into photos of your choice, new or old, good or not-so-good, anything you please, but nothing rude please.
If you are participating, please leave me a comment so I can buzz along and have a look.
Elephant's Child always participates, and her pictures are always worth seeing.


in the weeks before Christmas, I made several batches of snickerdoodles. As you can see, they didn't all keep their intended shape. I named this one fishducky.

my neighbour K gave me a catmint plant which had outgrown its pot, I trimmed it, replanted it and gave the trimmed bits to Lola. She loved it! Chewed the leaves, rubbed her face on the crushed stems, (crushed to release the oils and fragrance), she spread it around a little and rolled around in it.

several people have helped themselves to cuttings from my Gollum, you can see the stem is bare, so I did the same. Took pieces from the tips,

and replanted them in separate pots. They seem to be doing well in spite of our heat 42.2C Friday(108F, second day over 40C), today is a little cooler, so I will get out there and water after the sun begins to go down. 
I've started watering my patch of lawn too, the grounds have an extensive watering system in place, but no one has turned it on for a couple of summers now and my once lush green lawn is now too short and looking very brown. The lawnmower person has his blades set too low. I know I'm going to have to pay for the extra water used, but I think it will be worth it.

my Philodendron Xanadu is recovering now that I've moved it to a shadier spot, I really like these and plan on buying a few more, when fully grown they are dense and deep green and quite big. They will help to shade other things. 

Christmas Cactus cuttings, a gift from a valued friend, are all showing new babies and I'll have to get the pots hung soon after the summer of course, so they can hang over and show off their flowers when that happens. I'll need to get some sort of frame to hang the pots on, the thin branches of the plum trees won't be strong enough, perhaps a few "shepherd's crook" hanging supports such as Joanne uses will be the way to go.

My rhubarb is still looking very tiny, but has sent out 'runners' and made new plants, if you look closely you'll see 5 small clumps where there was once only one.

I'm hopeful of being able to cut and use homegrown rhubarb next winter. Apple and rhubarb crumble, yum!

this brown pot of aeoniums was on the porch and not doing so well, so I moved it down into the garden with others that I had planted in the ground. The ones in the pot are now doing much better, while the ones in the ground have developed brown leaves around the green centres.

this last image may be of interest to Lee. I was reading a story based in Alaska and got out my enormous, falling apart, 45 years old, huge Times Atlas, to look up the general area depicted in the story. Imagine my surprise to find Alaska also has a Hinchinbrook Island! Lee often writes about her time on Australia's own Hinchinbrook Island, running the Resort there. I hope I got her link correct.
If you enlarge the image, you'll see Alaska's Hinchinbrook just below and to the left of Cordova.












Comments

  1. I look out the window and admire all the snow cover on the garden. Good for the plants.

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    Replies
    1. Joanne; snow would certainly give the ground a good watering as it melts and seeps into the soil, our soil is do dry most of the time, being in the driest state of the driest country.

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  2. My, 108F is brutal. Loved your Fishducky snicker doodle. You should have sent it to Fran as a get well snack.

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    Replies
    1. Arkansas Patti; brutal yes, but quite common here for the summer months. We're a bit cooler today and tomorrow, then the temps will climb again and next Saturday be right back at 42C. The snickerdoodles are from last year, long before Fran became unwell.

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  3. Your plants are looking terrific, but I'm afraid if I were exposed to temperatures that hot, I'd be wilted and browner than your grass. Whew!

    I love your fishducky cookie. :)

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    Replies
    1. Susan; I'm feeling wilted myself, even with the air conditioning which only cools the living room. If I need to go outside for any reason the heat just takes my breath away, so the asthma is worse in the summer for me.

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  4. Loving your garden. We aren't quite as hot as you, have have spent the last few days at 38/39. And will spend the next few there too. The garden here is crispifying.

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    Replies
    1. elephant's Child; crispifying is the perfect word to describe our summers. My lawn is showing green after last week's watering and I'll water again tonight, but if the grass grows too long before the next mowing, I'm afraid the man might lower his blades even more. I may have to buy an old fashioned push mower and trim it myself. Luckily it's a small patch.

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  5. Whoa, that's hot! Rhubarb, wish I had some. MMmmm!

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    1. Sharon Qualls; it occasionally gets even hotter here in the city. The northern parts of the state often get to 45C-47C for most of the summer. I'm glad I don't live up there anymore. I used to get the rhubarb from my daughter's yard, then I dug up a small root section to bring here and it hasn't done so well, and K's rhubarb died too, so we've been without unless we buy it at the supermarket at a way too high price.

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  6. A word like snickerdoodles and we can't say anything rude. I think I would like some stewed rhubarb. I guess Hinchinbrook is a place in England, and as happened the name was used in the colonies.

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    Replies
    1. Andrew; call them sugar cookies instead. I like stewed rhubarb with warm vanilla custard poured over it, but the best is apple and rhubarb, either in a crumble or as before, with custard. I'll have to look up England now and see if there is a Hinchinbrook.

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    2. my atlas doesn't have a Hinchinbrook listing for England, just Aus and Alaska.

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  7. I thought if fishducky as well, hope you are feeling better Fran!

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    Replies
    1. joeh; I hope Fran is feeling better too, will send her an email a bit later.

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  8. Firstly....Wow! I never knew Alaska has a Hinchinbrook Island, too How about that!! Thanks for pointing this out, River...how interesting.

    It's quite a large island, too...171 square miles...our Hinchinbrook is slightly larger at 245 sq. miles

    This certainly is a very interesting "tidbit"...you had me wondering through the night what you tidbit might be!! :)

    I'm glad Lola is having fun with the catmint. She'll have to have he own, personal little garden plot!

    I hope you have a wonderful week...and a much cooler one. Take it steady...cuddles to the lovely Lola. :)

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    Replies
    1. Lee; I was surprised to see the island too and thought of you right away.
      I'm hoping the catmint grows large enough that I can bring some in for her on a regular basis and if it gets really bushy I can dry some and make her a cushion.
      No hope of a cooler week here.

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  9. I'm a doddle fan oh you did say snickerdoodles. Plus rhubarb does make a good wine.
    Coffee is on

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    Replies
    1. peppylady (Dora); I don't like wine, but I do like snickerdoodles.

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  10. Fishducky was my first thought, as soon as I saw that cookie! 108 degrees? That made me turn off the heater under my desk!

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    1. Val; did the warmth spread right through the internet? It's a bit like me putting on a shirt when I read about your below zero temperatures.

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  11. Your Gollum looks a lot like a jade plant! No idea what a fishducky is lol!!

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    Replies
    1. Happy Elf Christine; it is a jade, the Gollum is the name that was on the label stuck in the pot, so I guess that's the variety. Fishducky is a blogger friend, you'll find her in my sidebar, but she is unwell currently so taking a small break from blogging.

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  12. Philodendrons are lovely, and you are lucky to be able to grow them outside.
    Your plants are coming along nicely and cats do love catmint.

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  13. Margaret-whiteangel; I do like philodendrons particularly this Xanadu type, they grow strong and tall and lush with the right conditions, I had a carport full of them in my previous home.

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  14. Your plants are beautiful, my black thumb salutes you! It’s so cold where we are my pictures are of our unaccustomed cold.

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    1. messymimi; these are the survivors of many plants I tried, I'm not such a good gardener, I just plant everything and see what lives and what dies.

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  15. Hi River,

    I liked looking at your plants. I wish I still had a garden because I miss having plants and attempting to grow fruits and vegetables. Luckily, my son, who is now an avid gardener, managed to get an allotment.

    Snickerdoodles! That's a new one on me!

    Have a wonderful week ahead, River.

    Gary

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    Replies
    1. Gary; is your son close enough that you can help with the allotment? Snickerdoodles are sugar cookies, basically.

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    2. His allotment is very close to where I live. Up until the weather got bad here, I was helping him get it sorted out. It was a right mess when he got the allotment last September. Thanks for asking and thanks for the explanation in regards to the cookies.

      Gary

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  16. It was lovely seeing your plants.
    I'm glad Lola is having fun with the catmint!

    I hope the week ahead is good for you.

    All the best Jan

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    Replies
    1. Lowcarb team member; I'm surprised at Lola liking the catmint, she's the first cat I ever had that liked it.

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  17. I don't eat them, but snickerdoodles are popular in this area. I'd never heard of them before moving here. Fun name.

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