White Christmas

Looks like we are going to have a White Christmas after all. Beautiful snowfall! Light, fluffy flakes on the tree branches creating a winter wonderland.

Merry Christmas to All!

Updated Turf King Hamilton Website

Been working the last little while to update our website (www.hamilton.turfking.ca) Working with a local web designer, John to make things better.

I can do a few changes myself. That is interesting and fun- although, at times I have to be careful as I don't know a whole lot at this stage.New features include a search capability. And, we can send newsletters to customers and so on. working on that. Also a blogging section. Right now transferring blogs from my Turf King Blog.

When I thought about how do I get a picture of the new site. Then I learned about he PrtSc (print screen) key on the keyboard. Press that and an image of your screen is saved in the "clipboard." Paste the image into a graphics program and voila you have an image of the screen. DIdn't know that before- I mean I had forgotten how to use that.

Christmas Lights

I see a lot of Christmas decorations and lights. It seems to be getting to be more and more each year. I do remember the oil crisis back in the early 70's. At that time, everyone (or at least a lot of people) stopped using Christmas lights as their way of contributing to easing the oil shortage and the energy crisis.
Now, it seems to be business as usual. I know that the new LED lights are supposed to use only about a quarter of the energy of the regular lights.
As I was driving home last night, I'm thinking, "When are they going to come up with solar Christmas lights?"
Did a Google search today, and sure enough, they've been working on them, and I see that they are now starting to be available.

Cactus should wear Sandals!

I have had these hardy Alberta prickly pear cactus have been growing in the garden for the past 17 years. A couple of years ago, I put some into some old shoes. When we had the garden centre, on of the greenhouse growers would bring old shoes with hens and chickens (Sempervivum spp.) Well why not grow cactus in some old shoes? Especially since I had some old shoes. And the cactus root easily. This variety has yellow flowers.

I suppose since these cactus can survive the Canadian winters, they are quite comfortable in shoes. Just watch the thorns on these guys. They can be a pain.

Found a blog with only winter hardy cactus.

Winter is coming?

A little touch of snow flurries this weekend. The weather was cool this Sunday, but had to do some more work outside. Put the rest of the furniture and pool stuff away, tidy up some things that needed trimming, dug a few carrots, beets and leeks.

Made up 3 winter greenery pots- trimmed evergreens from around the pool- Hetz blue juniper, Mint Julep juniper, Japanese garden juniper. Added pieces from other parts of the garden. Hydrangea Annabelle, Miscanthus grass, Sedum spectablis, Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium), Asparagus fern, Hibiscus stems, Silver dogwood stem, Himalayan Birch, Corkscrew Hazel, Green Barberrry, Viburnum berries.

see our Turf King Website www.hamilton.turfking.ca

Soup Potluck

Had our soup potluck this Sabbath at Heritage Green. This is the second one this year and the fourth one all told. This time we had 10-11 soups from various people-Lentil, Panamanian split pea, corn chowder, cream of wheat, pasta and cabbage, veggie soup, 11 bean soup, squash/leek, carrot/vegetable, a red lentil and potato stew, a pot of chili beans.

Mom made 2 soups. One was Mulligatawny -a spicy Anglo-Indian soup. (Ken Deweltz says it means Pepper water.) Her vegan, wheatless, chicken noodle was also a hit. Chicken noodle- at some of the earlier soup potlucks it was the first in the line- so we thought that's why it ran out. But this time it was at the very end. This is the first time she made it wheatless- for Dillon- used rice noodles.

A Load of Squash

This is the 4th year that we have gotten a) a lot of butternut squash, b) a prize winning whopper that is at least 15 pounds.

It all started in 2003 when we inadvertently grew some butternut squash. Some seeds from a squash we had bought ended up in a flower bed and started to grow. Rather than pull it out we left it to grow. Even though some of the later squash got nipped by frost, we had some great squash that fall.

So in 2004, we thought "hey, let's grow some squash." Since we had good luck with squash from the grocery store, we decided to do the same. If we had bought a package of seed, all we would have got was some seed. This way we got to eat the seed package.
We bought a squash early in the spring. We saved a few seeds and deliberately planted a few plants. The seeds were so vigorous, their roots started to sprout with just a few hours of soaking. Some of the squash grew very large. A few were 18 inches or longer and very thick. So we saved th e seed from those big ones.
In 2005 and 2006, those seeds again produced a bumper crop of fruit. Squash soup became one of our favourite fall foods.
This year again, we planted those same original saved seeds from 2004. How long will those seed remain viable?

Just to be safe this year we are planning to save the seeds from the big 16 pounder.

The seniors at my mom's apartment are having a squash soup luncheon today - the squash supplied by us. They have had squash soup luncheons for at least 2 years each fall.

We have found that one of the easiest ways to prepare butternut is to simply slice them into 1/2 inch sections, put them into a large container, pour a little oil on them, mix up the slices. Then throw them on the barbecue. You can add a little cinnamon or cloves, but just oil is just great. One of the easiest and tastiest ways to enjoy squash.

Care of Portulacaria Bonsai

A- Indoors

Light- as much light as possible. Sunny window is best. Turn every few weeks so plant does not grow one way.

Temperature- will tolerate temperatures as low as 50 degress F. (10 C)

Watering- allow to dry between watering. Can be neglected. Suggest watering every 2 weeks with a good soaking. Water stress will show if the leaves start to wrinkle. Underwatering better than overwatering.

Pruning- Generally pinch off the new growth to control the plant’s shape. Don’t want to get long stems between the leaves. The plant grows with opposite leaves. As a branch grows, pinch off the end whenever there are one or two leaves. This way the plant will stay bushy.

Fertilizing- shouldn’t be needed until about April. Then feed with a water soluble fertilizer such as miracle grow or 20-20-20. 1 teaspoon to 2 litres. Use the liquid fertilizer about once a month.

Future pruning- right now the plant is sort of a bush. As the height increases, you could consider removing the lower branches and leaves to make it more like a tree.

Repotting- Next summer, once acclimatized to outdoors, suggest lifting out of pot, putting half to ¾ inch of potting soil in the bottom and re-planting. Then remove a half inch of the soil on top to expose the roots.

B- Outdoors

In summer, it is good to put outside when danger of frost is past (after June 1^st through to early October in Southern Ontario.) Acclimatize to outdoor sun by placing in an area with no direct sunlight for 10 days. Then move gradually to full sun.

Plant will grow quicker as the weather gets warmer. Trim regularly. Any trimmings can be stuck in a pot and they will root quite easily.

Watering in the heat of the summer when outside can be as often as every other day.

Fertilize once a month- when outdoors.

See these plants earlier in the summer.

A. http://kingofgreen.blogspot.com/2007/05/portulacaria-bonsai-too.html

B. http://kingofgreen.blogspot.com/2007/05/portulacaria-bonsai.html

Care of Bonsai Plants

Home Sweet Home

Fall had sneaked up on us while we were away- the trees behind the house along the property line had turned to their brilliant fall colours. (At least the sky was blue.)The Grasses were in their prime- with their plump seed heads wafting in the breeze. At least the castor beans were adding their tropical effect to the garden.

Canada Welcomes You

Sunrise from the plane as we fly east from Vancouver

Time to Leave

Last Morning, have to leave soon. . . . okay a few minutes at the pool.

The sun was shining brightly, the sky was so blue. . . . the palm trees so green and lush.
The water was refreshing.
So long -- Hawaii

Topical Food

In keeping with the Hawaiian theme, we are trying to keep our ice cream topical or is it tropical? Last week we had Macadamia nut ice cream. This time we found two flavours from Roselani. The Pa'uwela Sunrise has Maui Pineapple chunks in Orange Creamsicle. The Haupia is a Coconut pudding. This one is especially yummy.

We also found Meadowgold yogurt with flavours such as mango, papaya, lychee, coconut, guava. In the little containers, these are great for taking to the beach for a snack. Also for snacking is tapioca pudding.

Sounds of the Sea

"Sounds like you're having a good time" you say. Listen to this video for the sounds as the waves meet the black lava on the Ke'anae coastline. (ignore the human voice interrupting the sea)

More Hawaiian Views

Coast line viewTaro field. Taro is grown in field flooded with water.
Here the sun was so bright shimmering across the water, even though it makes this picture look like it is evening.
Another view along the coast.

Flowers/Plants of Hawaii

Don't know all the name of the flowers and plants but they do give that tropical feeling of lushness and beauty.
Perhaps a hibiscus relative
In an arboreteum, a tree had fallen, an epiphyte growing on the trunk was easy to photograph.
Seen along the road

Sunday

Sunday, October 21, 2007
Today we drove up to the Haleakala Volcano. Again, lots of winding roads, but exactly the opposite in vegetation - almost a desert. We went to an elevation of 10,000 feet, so for some of the time, we were looking down at the clouds. Neat experience.

Saturday in Maui

Sabbath, October 20, 2007
We drove the 'Road to Hana' today - which took us along the Northeast coast of the island. This is the area that gets the most rain, so the vegetation is the most lush, with many shades of green to be seen, and the feeling that you are truly in the tropical rainforest.

Lots of waterfalls to be seen here,
beautiful coastlines, and very winding roads. The tour books say that most people leave the airport area between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m., so to try to get an early start, so we left our place at 7 a.m. to get away from the start of the highway by 7:30. We really were early, because we did not run into a lot of traffic. For the most part, we had clear sailing, though we would meet up with a few other early birds at the different spots where people would stop to photograph points of interest.
Stopped along the way back to visit some beaches. We watched some surfers riding the waves along the north shore and also stopped at some south shore beaches. Got back to the hotel around 5 p.m.

When we were in Hawaii 10 years ago on the Big Island, we had found guavas growing wild along the roadside, and had picked some, and really enjoyed them. Since arriving this time, we have checked out several fruit stands to try and buy some, but have been told that the season is over, and they are not available. On the highway to Hana, we suddenly realized that there were lots available along the roadside, so Gerry climbed the bank, and picked some. For supper, we had gauvas(the pink fruit), and 'Moya', or Custard Apple as I remember it, which we had bought while still in Kauai. Delicious.

Maui - Here we come!

Friday, October 19, 2007
Left Kauai at around 1 p.m., and arrived in Maui at approximately 2 p.m. Flew over Oahu, Lan'ai, and Molokai, and landed uneventfully. We can see the ocean from our balcony, and were able to watch the sunset, and we think we saw the green flash. Our view is somewhat obstructed by a palm tree - the nerve - but another evening, we will go out and watch it from the beach.

Queen's Bath - Hike & Waterfall

According to the guidebooks, Queen's Bath is the size of several swimming pools, and looks very inviting in the pictures. It is a pool in the lava rock, fed by the ocean, which supposedly you can go swimming in. However, it also commented that if you could not recognize it, the ocean was not cooperating with you. This area was located about 5 minute's drive from our condo, so we took the hike late one afternoon. It was fairly steep in areas, though certainly manageable, and quite slippery when wet (which is most of the time in Princeville), as it seems to rain there almost every day. (Apparently they get about 90 inches of rain for the year, which is why they have such lush greenery.) Saw a couple of nice waterfalls on the way down.
We actually found two possible pools that looked like they could be Queen's Bath. A couple of people did go in swimming, so we presumed it was this one. We just compared our picture to the one in the book, and it is the right one. Although we went prepared to swim, we were certainly not tempted to go in. The pool itself may have been somewhat overrated, though it could have been the time of day, but there were some beautiful views to be had.

Beaches and Mac Salad

We spent some time visiting and exploring a number of the beautiful Kauai beaches.

At the Lemongrass Restaurant we enjoyed a Macadamia Salad. Very Hawaiian, very tasty. Salad greens plus silvers of red onion, tomato and red pepper plus chopped macadamia nuts and some fresh pineapple chunks. The salad dressing was a Thai inspired peanut flavoured mix that had a spicy flavour. One of the best salad combinations we have had. (should have taken a photo)

Lighthouse

The Kilauea lighthouse sits on a rocky lava promontory. It no longer functions as a lighthouse, but the area surrounding it has been designated as a historical site and as a Bird sanctuary. There were lots of birds flying around and along the path there were holes in the soil. Someone pointed out that there were baby birds in the holes. All you could see was a ball of fluff or a fuzzy ball.