Verna and Bob's Weblog

Verna

Happy First Day of Spring

Beavertail Cactus First Day of Spring

I photographed several of the beavertail cacti along the RV drive today. This large one, in particular, has been very prolific in the production of new paddles and flower pods this year.

Many of the cacti that we have transplanted are doing so well that, after this season, we will have to trim them back from the RV drive and either transplant the cut paddles or discard them. It seems a shame to do so, because of the beautiful flowers, but this variety is very aggressive and relatively immune to being eaten by the wildlife.

We also have some hedgehog cacti that need to be divided and relocated. We will do that after the flowers are gone for the year. The hedgehogs don’t spread as aggressively as the beavertails, but a couple of them are getting pretty big.

March 20, 2015 by Arizona Flowers Home & Garden Photography

First Argentine Giant Flowers Opening in Town

Argentine Giant Flower

My Argentine Giant cactus at home has several buds on it that will likely open into these giant white flowers. During an errand to old downtown, we passed a yard where the Argentine Giants were already in bloom.

The cactus isn’t particularly a giant, but the six-to-eight inch diameter flowers certainly are, among common cactus flowers. This flower was growing on a cactus behind the chain link fence, but the flower pod protruded through the fence and the flower was on the outside of the fence.

The flower smelled like a fresh sea breeze. Click on the image to enlarge.

March 17, 2015 by Flowers Photography

Cimarron Sage Flowers

Cimarron Sage Flowers

The spring season not only brings out the wild flowers and cactus flowers, but some of the landscape shrubs also start to bloom. These are flowers on our Cimarron Sage bushes that line the west side of our driveway. Click on the image to enlarge.

These shrubs have not been doing too well for some known and some unknown reasons. We may replace them with a variety of flowering bushes that have a trunk like a small tree, so when the boy dogs come to call they won’t be able to do their marking on the foliage and flowers.

March 15, 2015 by Arizona Flowers Home & Garden Photography

First Spring Lemon Blossoms

Lemon Blossoms

We spotted our first spring lemon blossoms on the tree in our “orchard.” This little flower was one of several making an appearance on the little lemon tree today. Click on the image to enlarge.

Last fall, we had a bumper crop of lemons, most of which were harvested and used to produce our homemade Limoncello. We still have a lot of the bottles that we need to ship out to family and friends. We have given several bottles to friends here in town, but there are a lot of bottles left over.

As fall approaches, we expect many more lemons to appear on this tree. This year, we plan on using the skins for Limoncello and freeze the juice in ice cube trays to then store in bags in the freezer until we need lemon juice for cooking or lemonade, whatever.

March 14, 2015 by Arizona Food and Dining Home & Garden Photography

Wildflower Patch

Wildflower Patch

We ran an errand today to the old downtown area. While driving through the neighborhood there, I saw a yard that was almost completely covered with wildflowers.

I took this photo as we drove slowly by the house where the flowers were. Click on the image to enlarge.

Maybe in a week or two, we will load up the dogs and take a drive up into the hills where the flowers are said to be even more abundant. Stay tuned.

March 12, 2015 by Flowers Photography

Mason Jar Chandelier

Mason Jar Chandelier

On Friday, we decided to go out for lunch at a local “picturesque” restaurant, the Gold Nugget. Their decor was unusual in that both the lobby chandelier and the sconces (not pictured) were constructed of crystals and Mason Jars. The chandelier was centered around an old wagon wheel. It made for an interesting conversation piece and it was actually quite pretty to see. Click on the image to enlarge.

March 8, 2015 by Something Shiny Weirdness

Avalon 1998

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