Sunday, October 30, 2011
happy halloween
HAPPY HALLOWEEN........!!!And, thank you all for your very sweet concern and your very dear comments....I am much much better, but still not "well".....This has been a very mean Bronchial Infection, because of my already damaged lungs......Still.....I am feeling better......Hopefully, I will soon be back at the old stand....Meanwhile, I wish you all a very fun and happy Halloween......Here is a picture from better days.........
More To Come.........
| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 1:36:00 AM
Thursday, October 20, 2011
sickly........
Been down with a Bronchial Infection.....I'm on the mend, but still not "well".......I will be back as soon as I am all better......Talk among yourselves.......And, as Harrison Ford said to Melanie Griffith in "Working Girl".... 'play nice with the other kids'........
More To Come, (when possible)...........
| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 6:31:00 PM
Saturday, October 15, 2011
fall flowers
In the Cactus and Succulent world, something is blooming all year round---all of them are not the same plants, of course.....Above, is a beautiful tall Euphorbia....(There are thousands of different kinds of Euphorbias---I probably have 35 different varieties in my garden....).
The Bees love these little yellow flowers.....There is nectar to be had here......And if you look closely, you can see it glistening right there for any and all of the bees to enjoy......
I have actually tasted the nectar and it is deeeeelicious! Sweet, sweet, sweet.....Love it!
When you sit on my Patio, which is what I was doing.....you can see this very tall Euphorbia which is taller than the Streetlight, now.....There are a lot of plants on my Patio, and a lot right outside the Patio wall, planted in the bed next to the sidewalk.......The Euphorbia that is flowering in these pictures was very small when I planted it back in 1986-87........I don't have a picture of that early early bed.....Well, I have something somewhere but not scanned in......It is hard to believe that all these lovely speciman's were all planted 25 years ago.....This picture below, is of the front bed from March, 2007, while a Film-Shoot was going on across the street from me. I asked them to put those cones up so people would be more careful of these precious plants.....They graciously complied and I dearly appreciated it........
That huge light yellowish plant is amother Euphorbia---it is an Amak Variegated...it was just one little arm when I planted it......The Euphorbia that is flowering right now is a little right of center......Here below, another view, a little bit closer.....this picture was taken in April, 2007......
You can't see the Euphorbia very well, but it is there......Here below, another view where you can see it quite a bit better......
It is really a beautiful plant....but then, I think they are all beautiful plants---like "living" sculpture......From inside the Patio, where I was sitting the other day....you could see the flowering lower branches really really well......
And below.....a closer look at some of those arms---they are just so full and lush---it is always exciting to see ........
And below.....more bees......I didn't get as many really sharp ones as I wanted to, but these are pretty good........I like this first one below, because I caught him 'in flight'......
And the next ones---well, it's just Bees doing what Bees do.....Oh, they seem to enjoy this so very much.........
And one last one........
If I can I am going to take some more pictures of the Bees.....I am down with some kind of upper respiratory horror---Not a good thing with my compromised lungs and with quite a lot of family coming over on Saturday......I'm a bit stressed out......Have a wonderful weekend, everyone......I hope the heat breaks here soon......More To Come..........
| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 12:07:00 AM
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
magical nature
Oh My Lordy....Look at this! Isn't it Amazing! This is a plant that grows in my garden.....Look at the complexity of it's structure.....see those protective long thin round thingies that surround the centers? There are 18 of these around each center....Eighteen! Even numbers....Hmmm. Wonder what that means? I don't know, but I'm sure somone does---And I know this----Nature does not make a lot of mistakes....... 
This is a Mammillaria---there are so many varieties that I'm not sure of the correct rest-of-the-name of this one, although I believe it is Mammillaria Elongata....Whatever the right name is---It is really Beautiful. This particular one sits on my front Patio, in a pot. It has done very very well there, so....if it ain't broke......!
I know these plants, Cactus and Succulents are often an acquired taste....But it seems to me that all it takes is really really looking at a plant like this....Looking at the amazing beauty of nature--the "complexity", as I said before....You still may not like it, but you cannot deny how beautiful the complexity is, if you really truly look at it....At least I don't think you can deny it. You tell me. 
I have another variety of this plant out in front, right on the edge of the sidewalk.....The arms are smaller and the whole plant is more compact as well as being a slightly different color......And actually there are two, one right next to the other......
The one on the left is an Elongata.....I'm not sure which species the one on the right is. Of course, these plants looks very different in full sun and in the ground......(The picture above was taken in 2007.......while the plants were flowering......) Below, a closer look at both these flowering plants...........
The Flowers are really tiny, as you can tell, hopefully.....a half-inch in diameter and less than an inch high......
This picture above was taken in April of 2008.....You can see that the color of the Mammillaria on the right is quite different than the one on the left.....Below, a better look at that one on the right......
I love the colors of this particular plant.....Usually these hearty plants do better in the ground than in pots---But, in fact, that is not always true. When something is planted in the ground and gets sun 12 hours out of the day, it just grows differently.....The Elongata's on the Patio are protected from Wind, Sun, and Rain.....Here is another one in a pot on the Patio, below....
This Elongata above was grown from a piece off of the very first one I showed at the top of this post....It is very happy, too, I'm thrilled to say....And those two tall plants that are the 'feature' of this beautiful pot-----which sits on a small table on the patio----were given to me by Betty......
Betty had them in her Greenhouse for quite a long time---someone had given them to her, originally. When I first saw them they were about 5 and 6 inches high---she always said she thought they represented us and our friendship.....She gave them to me about ten years ago or so. They have grown quite a bit considering they are in a pot where plants like these do tend to grow much much slower......And these two dear plants have some wind marks on them now, on that one side that I photographed. I'll have to get a picture from the more protected side......
Here is an interesting story. Now, just to the right of that little table, sitting on the floor of the patio---along with lots of other pots---is a very interesting plant. A good friend who was born in Holland brought it to me recently. Many years ago when he was visiting his mother in Holland, before her death, he took a cutting of this very old plant, and he somehow snuck the cutting into his suitcase, bringing it back here to Los Angeles.....It has grown and grown and grown....And it has beautiful White flowers which bloom at night only. A few months ago, he gave me some pieces of the plant! And that is what you are looking at in these pictures.....
We just left them as he had given them to me, not wanting to disturb them a second time---And, I got very excited the other day because there is new growth, which means it has rooted in the pot now.....Hooray! You can see there are three new shoots---the light green pieces.....And, as you can also see......there is something else growing.
That little red Radish-looking thing, in the not so great photo I took....Well, that is the beginnings of a flower, we think....! Exciting, isn't it? This is an Epiphyllum---and there are thousands of different species of this plant....It will get very big, almost like a vine...So we will have to move it eventually.....But for now, I am really thrilled that I have some of a plant that started in Holland and then moved to Los Angeles, and now lives with me, too.....It is over 100 years old....! In fact, I believe it is the oldest plant in my garden..........More To Come.........
| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 12:52:00 AM
Thursday, October 06, 2011
television views
I have a very hard time with the re-imagining of, the re-doing of, the taking-something-that-was-perfect, and deciding...'Hey, let's do a NEW version of this show'......Nothing against Maria Bello---she is a fine actress----But, in my not so humble opinion, it takes some kind of...what? Chutzpah? To decide...Hey, let's re-do this series....
For any actress to step into the shoes of a part that is so identified with and 'owned by' another actress, Helen Mirren, who's performance was untouchably brilliant in the original U.K. series..."Prime Suspect"....That is Chutzpah, too. I know, a job is a job. And in truth.....from what I've seen so far, this Americanized version of "Prime Suspect" has very little to do with the Original......Yes, some of the basics are the same---a Policewoman trying to achieve equal standing in a world dominated by men, etc., etc. 
But, it seems to me, that is where the similarities end. Why did the powers-that-be do this? Because, in fact, that's where the true Chutzpah lies with the producers and writers of this new American 'Prime Suspect'....and with NBC, too. And because it is really like a brand new series that takes place in New York City, not London, where the lead characters name is Jane, but not Jane Tennison----it's Jane Timoney.
And she dresses like a rogue Sheriff in the Old West---Why call it "Prime Suspect' at all--call it something else? To me, this so called 'Prime Suspect' is just another Cop Show with a strong leading woman character.....What set the 'original' apart was a combination of things---not the least of which was Helen Mirren....The writing was superb; all the actors were superb, and there was nothing about it that we had seen before, up until that time, particularly in the gritty subject matter--it broke new ground in that respect.
It was first produced in 1991. Of course, now in 2011 we've seen so much since then that our senses are numbed to hard hitting subjects filled with blood and gore---(Think "Dexter", for one...)---well, now it would all seem old hat. A suggestion: If you loved the original series, avoid the pain of this new one and just put on one of the "Prime Suspect" dvd's with the sublime Helen Mirren. Now, let me say something about "The Good Wife".
A wonderful show that just came back on for it's second season....They changed the viewing night from Tuesday at 10pm---a perfect time---to Sunday, at 9pm, not such a good time. They've changed 'Alicia's' hair, not so good, either.
And they've changed her---not good at all...She just isn't the same person anymore---it's like The Two Faces of Alicia....HELP!!! There is little enough on TV to look forward to---and 'The Good Wife' was one I really DID look forward to....Now? Not so much. I was always concerned that it would become a 'soap opera'....Does anyone else see those bubbles emanating from the screen?BBC America has some exciting drama's....."Law & Order U.K." (which was fabulous in it's first season shown here last winter..). It was the perfect "fix" for all of us "Law & Order" junkies who needed something a whole lot better than 'Law & Order L.A.'....(Oy Vey!) Terrific acting and direction and the writing--a lot of it based on the early original scripts of L&W, ALL fantastic.....! Well, it just started it's second season here in the states, and three of the lead characters have changed....
The men in the picture above have been replaced....!!! (The 'order' side of L&W).....
And the actor on the right, one of the two police officers, was killed off in the very first episode of the second season, sad to say. I haven't a clue as to why these actors were replaced---who knows what happened to them. All I know is three really wonderful actors are gone---two, with no explanation. Disappointing? Yes! I really thought it was cast so perfectly.....Oh well, that's the way these things go, I'm afraid. Still....it is a better series than most of this falls new shows....... More good news from BBC America....
They showed a wonderful 6 part series called "The Hour". The fictional story is about a 'show' called 'The Hour' shown on the BBC and about the people who work on putting it together---and it is about the political climate at that time. A terrific show within a show, so to speak, with interesting characters and the detail to the period---the 1950's---is superb. Exemplary Acting, Directing and Writing---this was a 'I-so-look-forward-to' 6 part series that I wish had been 16 parts....! (16 parts...that's a laugh---we are lucky if we get twelve episodes these days....)! Look for it in repeats....!"The Playboy Club"?
I saw about ten minutes and switched to something else. It was cancelled earlier this week, so the public only got to see three episodes. What is sad about that is...Maybe it would have found it's audience, given a chance...No, I wouldn't have been one of them, but, so what? "All In The Family" would be cancelled today after the third episode given the way shows have to perform ratings-wise....Now, that would be sad...! The 'networks' really do not give new shows a chance to find their audience today.....! Truthfully, I think "The Playboy Club" would eventually have been cancelled anyway...but gee, give them a fighting chance at least....!
"Boardwalk Empire" is back for it's 2nd season.....!! Love this show. This is their second season and so far, the high quality is very much there in ALL departments, in my opinion....And, this is another show that creates the period, (1920's Atlantic City during Prohibition) in such loving detail....Hooray for HBO! Showtime has a new series called "Homeland"....
What a cast! Damian Lewis, Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkan....all fantastic talents....I have only seen the first episode and it looks very interesting. More about that later......And as always.....There will be......More To Come......
Note: October 6th, 2005 I started my first blog.....in less then a month, my computer died. And after I got a new computer, I was so new to Blogging I couldn't remember how to get on my Dashboard....So, I started this blog you are reading right now....I will honor my actual 6th Anniversary of this blog, in early November, but, I just couldn't let this day go by with saying a little something.....
| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 3:28:00 PM
Sunday, October 02, 2011
breathtaking beauty
Nature stuns us with it's color combinations and it's variety of shapes.....and, it's endless surprises in design.
There are no mistakes in nature.....It is all perfect, whether we think so, or not.....Colors that shouldn't go together do----Shapes that seem to be at odds, aren't, at all.....Only in nature is the miraculous totally possible every time you look at a flower, for instance......
The Orchid is endlessly fascinating. There are so many kinds and so many color combinations......I could look at an Orchid for hours and not be bored. There is so much to see.......
And so much to marvel at.....This is a very complex flower in just about every way---yet, in beauty, it is honest simplicity, itself.
Oh....I want to take a closer look at this......
And then you have this view below, of another Orchid Blossom.....Each one really is different from the other......
And last, but not least....a different Blossom, once again......
I am in awe of these delicate, but strong flowers.....Endlessly engaging----I want more time with these gorgeous soft Blossoms......Okay?
Okay. Here's one more for the road, as they say.......More to come.........
| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 12:07:00 AM
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