Here in the Hills

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

patio greens

And closer in......

There are lots of plants out on my Patio.....things are more protected there and so, we often put things there that are more delicate, or that need more personal attention.

Some things have been moved from down below because the elements are so raw down there---Sun--12 hours a day, and Wind--24 hours a day. All the plants down below are open to any and all weather changes----in many ways it can be very harsh down there. So we move those plants that are visibly not doing well and therefor need to be in a more protected environment----not a Greenhouse, but close to it. My Patio gives them that protection. And of course, some things start right out here on my somewhat enclosed Patio.

This is a really Beautiful Euphorbia.....It is quite slow growing in a pot, but in this case, it has thrived in this particular spot. That is a window behind it and that really protects this wonderful plant, and many of the others, from the sometimes very strong winds, and yet they gets lots of light and sun.....

Lots of goodies in the picture above.....all of them different, but they all get along together really well......

This is another Euphorbia.....I know, it doesn't seem like they could be in the same family. But they indeed, are! What they have in common is the Sticky White Milky stuff that is inside them......

And above....another Euphorbia, that looks nothing like the two you have already seen, so far......

And a closer look at that one, above.....(and, by the way, that single stalk right there just left of the middle---is, yet again, another Euphorbia......)

They say that there are about 1500 different varieties of Euphorbia's.....In the main one above, each of those long hanging leaves has these little protrusions----each of which has a little sticker at the end.....If you look closely you can see them.....

Those little white looking things are the 'stickers'.....I love this plant......I have two of them at the entrance to my home----They are on either side of my front gate-- sort of guarding the gate......The picture below was taken at night and is really not very good.....But, at the moment, it's all I have.......

This was taken back in early 2006 with my first digital camera which was very new to me at the time.....I am going to try to get a better picture tomorrow.....

So, bear with me on this......This photo above doesn't really show off those Euphorbia's very well, at all, I'm sorry to say, which was the whole point.......!

Okay! This is a better picture...But, you still cannot see the great beauty of these Euphorbia's.....One of the reasons is that the tops have been cut off of these two plants.

These Euphorbia's grow pretty fast and they get quite tall---in fact, too tall for the place they are in....So, we have to cut off the tops and let them dry----then plant them in pots so they root, and after they have rooted, we exchange the 'tops' for the cut off pieces and the process starts all over again.....The piece on the Patio is a 'top' that has been rooting.....

Above, you can see where the top has been cut off......and you can also see the front doorbell, which was obscured before we took the top off.......It doesn't look particularly neat, but, I'm afraid it's essential. Otherwise people cannot find the front doorbell, and they also can get a tiny bit hurt by trying to ring the bell through these great beauty's.......

Let me show you a closer look below, and then I think you'll really see what I mean......

The little stickers I talked about? They really can hurt if you brush past them......Below....a little closer........

See what I mean? But I, in spite of that, I think this plant is so incredibly beautiful.

The design is so very complex, yet simple, at the same time.....And each leaf is so very thin, yet has such substance, plus, those amazing little treacherous stickers......

Next time I'll show you some more special plants that are on my Patio......

More To Come........

| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 12:41:00 AM

22 comments

Sunday, July 21, 2013

suuculent city

On my deck, I have a bunch of beautiful Succulents. One of the things that is so wonderful about these plants, besides the fact that they are all so very Beautiful, is, they don't require a great deal of care, and they adjust to all kinds of weather variations....Well, I don't know about freezing cold and snow, but they do well in just about all other kinds of weather.....

On first glance one might think that these two are very much the same.....but, in fact, they are not. They are no doubt cousins, one might say......

And below, it's first cousin.....

You can see, when looking closely at each one of these, that they really are quite different. Here below, some further examples of their differences......

And, Cousin Cassandra below.....

What I find so amazing about these two particular Succulents is that they exist at all! That Nature created these very complex and---to my artists eye---very Beautiful plants, is beyond extraordinary....it is some kind of miracle!

And, below....Cousin Cassandra.....

I know these two particular Succulents may be an acquired taste for some people, and there may be people who look at these plants and say..."I don't get it. I think they are ugly."
One could say with great confidence that I am not one of those people.....lol.

The design of these plants is exquisite! The shapes and the colors.....

Cousin C. below......

Sometimes, I forget that all this beauty is right here at my fingertips, so to speak....Looking closely, once again, gives me so much pleasure. Living Sculptures----that is what these plants are, to me.

And 'The Cuz', below.....

And here they are, once again, as you see them from somewhat afar......

And......

Aren't they just spectacular?
And last, but not least, here they are from truly afar....as they look and live on my deck......

I called this post Succulent City because my deck is like a little city of these special wonderful plants.....I will show you more, next time......I hope you enjoyed the tour of this particular city......

More To Come........

| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 10:29:00 AM

21 comments

Sunday, July 14, 2013

part 3 - a celebration

The Adorable Dianne took many pictures of the Birthday Lunch, I am happy to say---things that I did not take, like the table.....

I love China. And over many many years, I have collected quite a lot. I try to use all that I have in my "China Closet", but I know there are things I have neglected. I end up using the same plates, over and over. I think these plates are so very very pretty.....

And there I am---The Birthday Girl, about to sit down at the Lunch Table.....Dianne took quite a few pictures of me and I am so pleased she did.....

I look pretty good! Well....make-up helps.....It's the first time I've had make-up on in more than a year......!

And below, a closer look at the T-Shirt I had made up for this occasion......

Well......that is somewhat of an over-statement.....But, all things considered, and make-up being in the equation.....I don't look too bad.....And, I do not dye my hair.

And there I am taking a picture of the really Beautiful Dense Dark Rich All Chocolate Cake.....
YUM!!!

It turned out that these Candles were the kind that wouldn't blow out. I'm just glad there were only four of them.....lol!

Oh, and I only had one earring on because I couldn't get the other one into my ear.....It's been a long time since I've worn any earrings, too.....So, maybe the hole in my right ear closed up......

Then.....it was time to open presents......Even though I told everyone not to bring me anything.....These lovely ladies wanted to bring me something, anyway.....

Bridget, who wraps everything so very beautifully, gave me a very sweet metal Birdhouse....And Lee brought me a bottle of her favorite Chardonnay and a really Beautiful Butterfly Bottle Stopper.....

The flowers behind me in the picture above were sent to me by my dear dear old friend Charley Berliner....The arrangement was lovely, and the flowers smelled absolutely wonderful!

Dear Dear Seemah made me some very special Brownies.....These are Brownies she used to make all the time---back in the day...I was thrilled to once again see these very special little sublime goodies, and wasted no time shoving one in my mouth......

Mmmmmm, it was so very good! And this, after a big meal and two rich desserts...(We had that wonderful Lemon Meringue Cake, too..)

So, there you have it. Another Birthday Celebrated with dear old friends.

And, for good measure.....Here below is one last silly little Video from that special afternoon, with 'The Brownie Lady'.....Seemah......

We did have fun!

More To Come........

| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 1:14:00 AM

29 comments

Sunday, July 07, 2013

part 2 - a celebration!

I am embarrassed to say---I took the above picture! It is so out of focus....No excuse. It's just a bad bad picture. The other two, were worse.

I wanted to share with you another Beautiful floral miracle.

Below, an Orchid plant that my sister Gene sent me (from Van's wonderful shop....).

It is very tall and filled with lots of gorgeous blooms.

It is so tall that it wouldn't fit on the top of the piano---it would have hit the ceiling---so I thought, the hearth was the perfect place for it...!

This way, this stunning plant would have room to spread out and look even taller----and we could all see the incredibly exquisite blooms, close-up!

Even if this magnificent Orchid would have fit on the top of the piano....None of us would have been able to see all the beauty of these exquisite flowers if we had put it up so high.

Gorgeous.....and unusual!

Once again, nature astounds!

I did not take pictures of our meal----it was Quiche and Salad---which everyone loves.....

We had our lovely meal, and our desert and coffee and then, we opened our gift bags! That's Dianne, below.....

There were the Diva Caps, which everyone Loved! And these very odd but fun glasses, which everyone loved, too! And some silly little Movable Monster Toys which were a real laugh riot.

Here's Bridget H., above, very happy with her cap and glasses and there is a little stuffed toy in front of her which you cannot really see.....And I did a little short Video of Annie G. below---she had her regular glasses on, underneath her Party Glasses.....

(I thought it would be fun to take some more little videos. They will be coming along down below....).

Above, Karen holding up a pretty mirror-type ball on a chain, to her ear, as if it were an earring. In fact, it is a glittery Key Ring---not very practical, but it is rather pretty. It came in a number of colors.

Here is Lee, once again, in her Diva Cap. I think this is the most popular cap I ever had in our Gift Bags....

Here is Annie, checking out the confetti holder. See that ring on her pinkie? That is a Compass ring----they tell you not to count on it if you think are lost! (lol)

Here above, two of the movable toys that were so much fun.....And if you look at Karen's hand---she has a compass ring, too, and a bracelet on each of her arms that were part of the goodies in the Gift Bags!

The Ladies always seem to have such a lot of fun playing with the funny silly little Toys!
Look at this, below!

And here below, is another little Video.....More Party Time! We love our Confetti.....! And one more little Video of The Toys and the Confetti.....

And here is the always hilarious Annie....This little short video proves we are all still young at heart, as if you doubted it..... And one last photo---the finale to a lovely, sweet fun afternoon! Another Birthday Celebrated!

More To Come......

| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 7:13:00 AM

22 comments

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