RKayne's Blog

My weird cat
Oct 31, 2008 | 3:18 PM PST
So, he acts like a dog.  As I understand, typical of the Maine Coon breed.  So I decided to treat him like one.  At this point, he will sit on command.  Next month (I am going to take it slow, just like the puppy he wants to be) will be 'Shake'.  lol.  Max, the weird cat...

7 days...8 hours
Oct 29, 2008 | 7:49 PM PST
Tags: Aquarium Garden , coffee , Dragon Fruit Trees , Amazon Sword , peruvian sword , water onion , lava rock

And STILL no camera.  It is frustrating but the flu has been outrageous.  My seller was in the hospital, they are in CT.  Here we are in Seattle and as I watch the flu ravage the city...I have to admit, it has to be bad there too.  I am just now getting over it and Shannon is too, my poor honey.  Even Max had a cold or flu or something.  He has fought it off, the tough fuzzy *bleep*.  Tippy?  Oh, you have not met her yet, she is a rescue dumpster kitty from downtown Houston, Bayou Kitty.  She is tough, not a problem.

I promised myself I would get in here and post more often, camera or no.  So...here I am!

OK, so the terrarium needs a new light, I know I put pics up once but don't want to drag them out as there are different things in it now.  I will get a light and when I have the camera SHOW you :D  The peppers are doing great and my little coffee (Nigerian) is very deep glossy green, I think it is enjoying the fact the light is out (well, it is working but Shannon was right, the plants are scared when it is on...it's like a haunted house...all the ghosts of plants gone by..running around...it's all spooky and flickery).  The Dragon Fruit trees are happy as can be too.  I know rather a few of you out there got some of this particular seed, did you plant them?  How are they?  What kind of light/soil/pot are you using?  We should share our knowledge because I for one, have complete confidence no idea what I am doing with them!  They live, they grow, that is good, eh?

We got a new aquarium, the old acrylic one was on it's last legs, well...at least as a filled to the brim with 60 gallons fish tank.  It has gone to new pastures with a new lease on life and has already become a turtle tank.  The woman who came by (it was cute, she had this HUGE truck she borrowed and normally drives a PT Cruiser) was so excited, she had contacted me (I used Craiglist, for inner city dwellers, Craigslist is THE thing, got my place there, my job *all of them both in the last 6 years or so*) second and the first guy flaked so I called her.  She lives south of here like a half hour or so and immediately said "I can be there in about an hour and have GPS".  Cool.  They went to the pet store first it seems because when I was helping her with the tank and light she mentioned they went and adopted turtles already, lol.  It will be perfect for that, I am so happy it gets to be used again.

 So, anyways, back to the tank.  I have a thing for LIVE plants in my tanks, water or no, haha.  The big tank, the 60 gallon is great.  It had this hodge podge disco dayglo ick for gravel.  We ditched it.  120 pounds of that crap...dumpster bound right away.  I got river rock and DAMN it looks good.  I was hesitant and it seems Shannon was too but she was NOT going to say anything.   Then it got wet and wow...I have to get pics, all I can say.  I had her arrange the 'furniture' in it (we have this great castle that is going to go in it, just have to afford it) and that worked great.  Don't you love convincing someone to do something they think they don't want to do and then finding out they really liked to do it?  Yep :D That reminds me...must blog about the pumpkins but NEED PICS! (they came out really cool, traditional cool, yo).

So, got all the fish moved, everybody is happy.  Then I got to the plants.  I had a couple plants I refused to move, all they did was constantly SHED crud in the water, leaves all over the place *note, water onion cool looking, puts out neat flowers like lilies...going all the way to the top...do NOT want* and they did NOT move with everything. But..I have what appears to be an Amazon Sword but I have more correctly ID'd it as a Peruvian. The leaves are slimmer and not so big.  So I will get an Amazon, lol.  There is another neat looking bugger that I don't know the name. It builds it's offspring on the tips of it's deep green leaves..little leaves with roots and all cute...I can tug them off and plant them all over.  So I have.

 So, I finally get to the point of this story.  I have some lava rock, red lava rock, in there for...um...ambiance! Yeah...that's the ticket.  So I guess that is what the brick is, eh?  Ambiance?  Well, you do find them on the bottoms of river beds!  And Sea Monster and Count Francis love the brick!!!

 Oh..yes...
no ADD here..no way.  The story! That is what I was getting to!

The lava rock and the neato babies on the ends of it's leaves plant.  So it has been multiplying.  To the point I am thinking I could hedge it together, maybe it could act as well as Sedge (grassy bottom level water plant) and protect the babies that I know are getting laid in there and just being Caviar!) or sell them.  So I put them all over.  The fish do like to tell me where to put them since they will leave them some places and constantly uproot them in certain spots.  Fine, I listen.  I looked at that lava rock tonight and a couple plants rolling through the bubbles (we have about a foot and a half air stone that I hooked a two hosed air pump to one hose with canula tubing) that flood the back, it was neat but I had to replant them.  No, not there, the fish don't want it there. No, not there.  Already plants there!.  The rock! yes! They will root in it if they stay on more than a couple days.  I found some good spots that had cracks or a depression and weighted them with a piece or that river rock.

Just.  Need.  Pictures.

No patience...
Oct 22, 2008 | 10:53 AM PST
Tags: Fern , sage , purple sage , Thyme , Chive , Garlic Chive , bonsai

Lordy I hate waiting.  No camera yet, lol.

 I want to get a pic of my Herb Pot.  I have two sages, one silver, one purple.  A Mother of Thyme and some Garlic Chives (Thanks, Poe!) that were all potted separately.  So I tossed them in a big pot and wow, the space.  Amazing how much space a couple pots take up!  I have two Purple Thai Peppers (thanks to the seed exchange!) I had started in that pot and I repotted them to take inside as it is starting to chill a bit around here.  Here is my method of herb pots. It will be great because this means we will have something green out there all winter.  I am going to put a firepit out there, yes, it's a balcony.  In an apartment building.  My building manager was going through an abandoned storage unit and found a small smoker grill and gave it to me.  With the lighter fluid.  WITH the charcoal. So...we can have FIRE!  Been using the heck out of the smoker, first time in years I had my OWN Carolina BBQ.  The real stuff.  Alder plank smoked fish...oh yum. 

I have two new plants out on the balcony, two 'liberated' plants.  My excuse?  They SAID they wanted to come home with me and we were wandering by...and had been 'out'...and well, they came home with me.  A Hardy Fern, I don't do ferns.  What is wrong with me?  I kidnapped adopted a fern?!?  I put it in the hanging basket, and as Shannon said the fern is all 'I'm a FERN! I'm up HIGH! It's COLD and WET and I LOVE IT! WOO! I'M A FERN!'  So...guess it has grown on me, it is a family member now.  I am sure TIppy would love to meet it but I think the fern is safer outside (she is good about *most* plants, it is the ferny types she just can't help herself about, lol).  There is another plant and Shannon has fallen in love with it.  It has no use that I know of, it is just pretty.  It seems to be getting happier the more it cools down (as if it ever really warmed UP this year, lol).  I will take a pic of it...when I get the camera...and it is flowering (several blooms are begining to open) as I am not really a flower growing type either (too selfish with the space) so I know it is simple, but I don't know what it is!

 Oh, and as a side note, I have had a few messages and comments about bonsai.  If you really REALLY want to get into it, read here: BONSAI! I give a few great tips about them :D

Still no Camera, let's talk BONSAI!
Oct 20, 2008 | 11:16 AM PST
Tags: bonsai , tree , bonsai maintenance

Yeah, no camera yet.  Stupid mail, lol. 

This is the best time of year to devote some time to your bonsai.  Thye do need to be repotted now and them, depending on the tree either one or two years.  The pots are small so they tend to get rootbound a bit faster and use most of the nutrients faster.  Some people insist on keeping them just as they are but I do NOT recommend  that at all!  Make the tree's happy.  I am never the same about it, I tend to repot half in Fall and the other half in Spring.  Whatever strikes me at the time.

I have pictures here that include basic maintenance as well, right here --> BONSAI

Always keep in mind, you feel better with a great haircut.  So do they, but that should include the roots as well, consider it giving your tree a great haircut and pedicure.  That would make YOU feel great, wouldn't it :D

Who wants Pumpkin Pie?
Oct 16, 2008 | 3:51 PM PST
Tag: pumpkin

Never have understood why I go to this much trouble.  I LOVE to make pumpkin Pie from scratch.  I have to make them, it is a mission every year.  Then I eat one piece.  And Shannon does not 'do' pumpkin (she is a Key Lime Gal) so I have to figure out...what to do with pies.  Ah! That's right! Coworkers!  I do one thing that is ofter different, I will make a couple regular....and then I make my personal favorite.  A savory one.  Simple, leave out the evaporated milk!

 This is my recipe (easier than reposting!) RKayne's Pumpkin Pie

 I have to admit I am rather proud of it. 

My other thing is I love to CARVE pumpkins.  Every year, no matter where I am, must carve pumpkins.  The ones in the pics I took in the recipe are from last year.  This weekend I will be hitting the Farmers Market and getting a couple to carve.  I can't wait! I am going for a big, heavy one...I want seeds.

 And there is the OTHER thing I must have.  Fresh Pumpkin Seeds.  (My Recipe Here)

They are so wonderful...crispy fresh hot and tossed with any dang flavor you can think of.  Something so yummy, and good for you too!

Last Post 210 days, 7 hours Ago ...Wow...
Oct 15, 2008 | 7:04 PM PST
That long.  Since I have had a camera.  It's in the mail (I had a minor setback that took a month, a month mind you to get my money back on an 80$...paperweight.  It would not power on and brand new.  Process takes FOREVER to get done, and now it is.).  We have a Sony Cybershot on it's way so I will actually WRITE again.  How I have missed writing, so much.  Not just here, man I got some stuff going on.  BIG time.  OK, so soon you will see what has become of the Bonsai, and meet some new plants :D  Wait till you see this balcony, I got SO lucky.  Nice space for an avid gardener in an apartment, haha.