SkyWatch Friday, Fertilizer Friday, and NaBloPoMo-Green

SkyWatch Friday - just a little woodpecker in a tangle of old branches left over from our cold winter.  These little guys managed to successfully trim the dead branches from three of these trees.  If only we could train them to pick up after themselves : )

Fertilizer Friday (and NaBloPoMo although I've missed two posts this month)


Longans and lemons - we have been sampling longans for a while but they need just a little more time.  The lemons are getting large.  We have been picking up tons of windfall limes rather than picking the ones that are still growing.  Unfortunately, I cannot even see the ground under the lemon tree so if there are any windfalls, they're turning into fertilizer!   Yesterday I spent a bit of time zesting and squeezing the limes.  I mixed the juice with some water and made ice cubes, and I put the zest in my dehydrator and made dried lime zest for future use.  Recycling - that's what NaBloPoMo-Green is all about this month.  The best part is when the citrus fruit is all gone, you can still use the leaves for cooking.

If you would like to see more, or join in yourself, please click on the appropriate button(s) to the right.  Peace.  B : )

Fertilizer Friday

Here are some of the miracles happening at our house:

Nectarine.  Unfortunately, Joy, the new Greyhound, has taken to biting them either off the tree, or in half while still on the tree.  Guess we won't have to worry about birds and rats - Joy will take care of relieving us of all our nectarines!

One of the roses from the front yard - they seem to have benefitted from the unusual cold.

Pomegranate bud, from which an indescribably colored flower will come, after which the fruit will show up, Lord willing and the creek don't rise.

One of Florida's many, many wildflowers.  If you enlarge this and look closely you can see the beautiful little yellow stamens (right word?).  This little beauty is very tiny....and it's growing up out of the layer of dead leaves shed by the giant ficus tree during the cold spell.

This one is a lemon - a scraggly little tree that was here when we got here that still produces lots of large, beautiful fruit - more than the tree can handle really.

White Bird of Paradise - not as attention getting gorgeous as it's colorful variety, but pretty magnificent in its own right.

Peach - this is the second year for us with this tree.  It appears she liked the cold too.  Joy likes this one too - lots of toys to play with just hanging on the tree.

Lime.  I love lime.  Did you know that lime in a cola product will cut some of the sugar and some of the bubbles and give it an amazing flavor?  I use the leaves as much as I use the fruit, and I especially use them when there is no fruit.  The curious thing about citrus is that you can tell what kind of tree it is by bending and breaking a leaf and smelling or tasting it.  Therefore, the leaves impart the same flavor as the fruit.  A lime leaf or two can sure dress up some instant rice!

There are many more but this has been long enough!  Thanks for looking.  If you'd like to share your leafy miracles, just click on the Fertilizer Friday button to the right.  Peace.  B : )



New stuff at my shop - wanna see?
http://www.shophandmade.com/store/justb

Mellow Yellow Monday

If you would care to join in on the Mellow Yellow Monday, please click on the button with that name, to your right.  Here's a lovely lemon for you:

Can almost smell it, can't you?  You know what to do if life hands you lemons.  Peace.  B : )