How weird does this look? It’s almost as if this guy is in a bucket on the roof fixing antennas or something. Actually, this is a shot of the city tree trimming crew on the next street getting into position to trim up another city-owned Chinese elm tree in the parkway. I took this picture from our driveway after seeing him looming above the roof across the street.

I took this 3D image of a Madagascar Palm in the cactus and succulent section of the Botanic Gardens.

During late spring and summer, this part of the garden is very nice since many species are in bloom. The Madagascar Palm will get its blooms later in the summer. We’re planning to visit the garden again and will be watching for them.

If you have your 3D glasses handy, click on the image to see the full size anaglyph image. As usual, if you don’t have your free pair of 3D glasses yet, you can see the 2D version here.

Wikipedia offers this description of Pachypodium lamerei:

Pachypodium lamerei is a species of Pachypodium. It has large thorns and leaves mostly just at the top of the plant. It is a stem succulent and comes from the island Madagascar. The plant bears large, fragrant flowers. The species has become one of the best known pachypodiums in cultivation, being relatively easy to propagate and grow. In cultivation it is often marketed as the “Madagascar Palm”, despite in not being a palm at all.

This has been all over the internet, but I wanted to post it here just because some of these pseudo-words and definitions are quite clever.

The Washington Post’s Mensa Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are this year’s winners. Read them carefully. Each is an artificial word with only one letter altered to form a real word. Some are terrifically innovative:

1. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

2. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

3. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people, that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The Bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

4. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.

5. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

6. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn’t get it.

7. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

8. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.

9. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

10. Karmageddon: It’s like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s like, a serious bummer.

11. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

12. Glibido: All talk and no action.

13. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

14. Arachnoleptic Fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you’ve accidentally walked throug h a spider web.

15. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

16. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you’re eating.

17. Ignoranus: A person who’s both stupid and an a$$.

Even under cloudy skies, this Sunny Gerbera is still bright and beautiful. This is the second flower produced by the two-tone potted annual daisy. Click on the image to enlarge.

Why is it that I have to take a seven minute shower, water for only 15 minutes after 4PM, turn off the faucet while I brush my teeth and overload the dishwasher to maximize efficiency? The city has this dude come out and flush the hydrant system and flood both sides of the street while thousands and thousands of gallons of water wash, literally, out to sea.

An unfortunate by-product of hydrant flushing is that it turns tap water a deep brown color for hours afterwards. It’s disgusting to wash anything in it, let alone drink that crap.

I’m filing a complaint in the morning.

Well, peanut cactus flowers, that is. The little potted succulent whose flowers are seen here is called ‘Peanut Cactus’ - we got this one at the garden shop a while back and the display of the bright red flowers has been just spectacular since that time. Click on the image for full-size.

The neighbors two doors down got a permit to close part of the street to hold a block party. While that was in progress, this beautiful Torrance Fire Department Unit showed up in front of our house. I took two images from the front balcony and stitched this image together. Click to enlarge.