Wonderlites Came Today

Same as before: From Full Spectrum, arrived UPS today, well packed. Forgot they had other stuff, should have ordered some Neem too. Oh well. Very happy with purchase.

Pixie Continues Recovering

Everything seems to be healing well, no redness or infectious looking stuff. She seems more alert, a bit more energetic. Wailed a bit more today, which is good. When she's feeling happy, she talks a lot. Slept a lot today, though. Ups and downs, I think. She did gnaw at her shaved patches and made her leg bleed a bit from the re-opened needle puncture.

Showered All The Phals

Gave every single indoor plant a good scrub under the shower today. Scrubbed some crevices with a toothbrush. Took 2 hrs.

Found thrips over several of the african violet flowers. Removed them all and washed the leaves. Will spray with insecticidal soap.

Will neem all the plants again soon. Good to keep up the regimen just in case.

Book - The Return, a Van Veeteren Mystery

Now THIS book I got into. Very enthusiastic thumbs-up, best in the series so far. The main characters still aren't very accessible to me, I'm not sure why, but the writing and plot were very engaging and tantalizing. I found myself fascinated with the question, 'why?!' and 'who?'. I suspected someone in the village but couldn't pinpoint whom, and it was a surprise to me when it was finally revealed. The clues were there, so it wasn't from left field. Several different voices come thru in the flashbacks also, so I had to pay very close attention to who was really talking. Very well done.

An unidentified body is found, dismembered. Van Veeteren's team tracks down the identity to one Leopold Verhaven, a convicted murderer. After having served jail time for brutally killing his first girlfriend, decades later, he's again convicted and serves time for killing another girlfriend. The day he leaves prison for the second time, he's murdered. Something's obviously screwy, and the original crimes are re-examined. Never mind that Van Veeteren's undergoing surgery, he'll still figure it out.

Pixie's Patchy Legs

This was what pissed me off about this experience. The vet tech explained that she tried her left paw first, couldn't get a vein, so had to do her right paw. Don't they do this shit umpteenth times a day, how could she screw this up? Let's hope she didn't leave any teeth fragments in her mouth or screw anything else up.

Sadly, this is one of the best in my area. Also, top of the price range too, although that doesn't equal quality. At least everyone here genuinely loves animals.

From Kitties

From Misc

Pixie Very Subdued

Very quiet today, poor thing. Ate breakfast, had good appetite. Gave her both meds this morning, but doesn't seem to be stopping her pain. Purred and marched a bit. Swelling is down. Had to wipe her off - got pee and litter all over her hind legs.

Upstairs resting now.

This Week's Weather

Usual summer weather. Today 11am and still overcast. This week and next, overcast and morning fog until 9:30am, couple times till 11:30am, then sunny and comfortable, hovering around 75°, highest 80°. Some wind in afternoons but not too much.

One more spike on Onc Twinkle. Cool.

Edit: Sun came out at noon.

Pixie Is Home!

She came thru everything fine. Yippee!! Bad news: while cleaning her teeth, they discovered a cavity on the exact tooth opposite side, so they extracted it. Bummer. I would have preferred to take her to a specialist to get it filled instead. But it was a snap judgment on the table, so that's fine. Two sets of dissolving stitches on each side of her face.

The vet spoke briefly to me. I wasn't happy that it seems that the vet was nowhere near her - the vet tech seems to have done everything. But she sounds like she knew what she was doing, and she talked to me for quite a bit, which was nice, and even saved her teeth to give me back.

The bottom lip swelling was indeed something else, perhaps an allergy to something new, the vet said, or a spider bite like I mentioned.

So Clavamox for the swelling, and 5 days of Metacam for the pain.

She's already sniffing the carrier and going into it again (!?), and racing around meowing for food. Such a relief to have her home.

From Kitties

William Shatner Is Priceline

I usually skip over ads, but I like Shatner enough to watch the Priceline ads sometimes. This one really got me rolling, the other guy does a very good imitation! Hey, hon, this is the ad I was telling you about.



Yeah, I'm trying to distract myself from thoughts of Pixie....isn't it so sad what I have to resort to?

There's Not Enough Kitties Here!

It was bad enough with just three. It feels downright wrong with just two. I miss my Pixie. Hours are going by veeeeery slowly. I want to call for an update and bug the vet. But I won't.

I Love My Blog

As the worries were swirling around my head yesterday, and I was trying to remember the timeline of the injury, I was able to pluck the dates right from my blog. I created it for just this purpose - tracking stuff, and boy, did it come in handy. I only have fun blogs now, but I think I could use another one for more serious stuff. I'm just extremely uncomfortable putting my really personal stuff out there, even if it can be marked private. I'm sure I can find something similar to this to load and store only on my computer. Now why didn't I think of that earlier!

I love my blog!

Left Pixie At Vet

It was heartbreaking. She was so scared she couldn't meow - she just had her mouth wide open in a silent scream - looked like Munch. It broke my heart. They'll draw blood, test she's ok to go under, then anesthetize her, extract the remaining root, check for any other breaks, clean her teeth, and check for fractures. I can call after 3:30pm.

Thankfully she's in good hands, the vet is so wonderful with animals, and the vet techs are experienced. The front desk people are nice. I've gotten annoyed a few times, but overall, in my area, she's the best. She's very patient with me also, the hysterical mom. The prices are on the higher side, but not outrageous.

They're in the middle of sprucing up the place. The painter guy was there, and his really cute tortie was lounging outside. Adorable. A Yelper said it was under new management - my vet said yes, she'd bought out the other partner. When I commented how nice the new website looked, she said her hubby had been working on it. Good for her!

Pixie Has A Broken Tooth

I'm so freaked out. I feel like the crappiest catmom in the world. I've been checking Pixie's swollen lip since it started on Tuesday, and have been looking right at her teeth too, but missed it until this morning. Decided that I would take her in tomorrow just to be sure (usually I overreact, so didn't want to do it again - usually she would have been there already Tues).

As I was staring at her jaw this morning to check it, and looking at her teeth, it finally registered that .... after the fang on her left side, there's NO TOOTH!!!! How could I miss that?!? There's just a little nub left, and some pulp exposed. She's had an exposed tooth since July 14!!! She must be in sooooo much pain, poor poor thing! She was more subdued, but I just chalked it up to the claw. She was eating ok, and I didn't watch her closely to see how she was eating. I found the claw back then but wasn't looking for a tooth. Looked today, but afraid it's already in the vacuum bag.

I've gotten everything ready for the vet trip tomorrow, and fasting her in the hope that they can take care of it there immediately. I hope that they don't have to refer us to a specialist. I hope it's not a fractured jaw too, which is also common in this type of injury, and would explain the swollen lip. I'm hoping for a lot of things.

I'm so worried. I hate when they have to go under, there's always a chance of complications. And both Mozart and Kayla's meows sounded different afterwards, like their vocal cords had been damaged.

Ordered More Wonderlites

One of the Wonderlites burnt out a couple months ago, and gearing up for winter, ordered another 3 from Full Spectrum. They really pull the catts thru the winter well, and the phals just LOVE them and bloom crazily under them. They get really hot (not good in summer), which also serves as a heat source in the winter.

They're way more convenient than fluorescents, even if they're less efficient energy-wise. That's an acceptable tradeoff for me - I conserve elsewhere.

Ginza Breaks Out of Kitty Jail

Ginza horked up his breakfast, so I had to put him in 'kitty jail' aka the master shower, which is easiest to clean. He was compliant enough today, didn't cry at all in the beginning. After the usual 10 minutes, he got his second breakfast. Then he cried a bit to be let out, but wasn't slamming against the doors yet.

After I got up to shut off the timer and ready to let him out, Ginza shot by me in the kitchen to jump up on the ledge!!! It took me a sec to register why that was strange. The little brat had pawed the (heavy) glass shower door opened. If you leave even a tiny gap, he will wedge his paw in and work the door, sliding it until he can squeeze out. Too smart sometimes!

Book - The Overlook

This was so incredibly contrived, it belongs in one of those Cirque du Soleil productions. A few pages in, cut to the first scene with the wife, and you've already figured it out. Come on! I wouldn't have even bothered finishing it if it weren't for the fact that I really enjoy the Harry Bosch character, and he still works well in the book.

A doctor gets killed execution style at the top of Mulholland. His wife is hog-tied in their bedroom. Some scary chemicals got stolen from the hospital where he worked. National security may be at stake. Enter Homeland dept. Bosch is intent on not letting them muscle him out from what to him is basically a homicide.

Brother. *Eye rolling*. Wouldn't bother with this drivel.

Mealybugs on Phals

What a nuisance. The phals I got on Saturday got a couple young mealies on the flowers this morning. Washed them off. Will keep eye on them. Nothing on the leaves - gorgeously shiny and healthy. Most important.

Today's Catnip - Ginza LOVES His Brush!

Oh, he is the most adorable obnoxious spoiled little boy. Every time I'm brushing anyone, he'll run right up to me to get brushed too, often clambering over/shoving the other brushee away. Today, he ran right up to me for pets, so I gave him a good brushing. He was in seventh heaven, drooling away. I got tired after a while, so I put the brush down on the couch. Apparently he wasn't done yet, because after staring at me and the brush for a good minute, he decided he had to do the job himself. He rolled over the brush, then rubbed his cheeks all over it, then ....wait for it....he flops on the brush with both his front paws hugging the brush. OMG, how adorable is that?!?

Pixie Has Swollen Bottom Lip

No sooner has one thing gotten better than something else literally pops up. Her bottom lip is swollen - it's probably infected. I see 2 tiny pimples on it. She is a really messy eater, gets gravy all over her nose and chin, but isn't really good about cleaning her face, so she often gets pimples. Usually they resolve quickly enough. This one's swollen more than normal, so I wiped her lip with cotton-soaked rubbing alcohol, then wiping again with a damp washcloth. Will have to start cleaning her chin after every meal!

It took until the second day after her boo-boo that she started acting more normal again, crying for attention or prancing a little for food. She really favored the paw for a week, not marching or scratching. Now it's all scabbed over, but not infected or anything, whew.

Catts Get More Sun Today

After watering all the catts, wheeled them around a couple of times to catch full sun (under shadecloth) to dry off better. There's a whole bunch of new growths everywhere, and most vulnerable to standing water right now. Don't want to lose any.

Another damned wheel came off!! That makes 3 that won't screw on properly any more. I'm done with it, must go buy new one. It'll be stationary - I'll stick some cyms on them.

Book - The Axeman's Jazz

Interesting fluffy read. The writing could have been better. I like Skip Langdon. I have to say, even for today, the genesis of the murderer shocked me. It was unbearably sad.

Someone's reviving an old serial killer from 1912, killing the same way. After a possible link with support groups is found, the department goes undercover attending the anonymous groups to find a suspect. There's quite a lot of detail on what goes on in the meetings, along with psychological assessments by a shrink brought in to help with the cases.

In Contact With High School Chum!

Woohoo! Was able to give her my contact info, going around the classmates site, and got an email from her, we're in touch again. Very very cool.

Today's Kitty Pics

Having a leisurely, lazy day today, surfing around the net, alternating with kitty- and orchid- fussing. The kitties aren't as amenable as the orchids when it comes to taking pics - they really dislike it. Too bad - they're too cute, and they're going to get bothered.

Blehhhh! That's what I think of you!

From Kitties

From Kitties

From Kitties

How's that for a glare?

From Kitties

From Kitties

From Kitties

Movie - Constantine

I don't care what others say, including Hubby. I loved this highly stylized retake on the whole good vs. evil religious theme. Yes, I agree the editing was poor. Yes, it's total camp, BUT sometimes camp is fun! The story grabbed me, and I was very entertained.

Never seen the original comics, but I think they probably translated it pretty well. I like Keanu Reeves even if he can't act - the looks factor earn him an automatic in, yummy! And I really Rachel Weisz, despite the goofy American accent for this film. Less painful than listening to many of the Americans with their awful British affectations (Wynona Ryder & the aforementioned Reeves in Dracula, anyone? Yecchhh.)

Just saw it again yesterday on HD, and it looks really beautiful. Weisz plays a cop who seeks to find the truth behind her twin sister's suicide, and teams up reluctantly with Constantine to battle the devil's son, who has an evil plot to take over Earth's rule from his daddy by using the twins as conduits.

Orchidholic Shopping

Came for a pick-me-up, didn't quite do the job, but did manage to walk away with 6 more orchids. Bad bad girl. Popped into McLellan's, found a couple blptms that were just too killer to pass up, $8 ea. All fragrant!! I noticed a surfeit of zygopetalums in each store I visited. How neat.

Orchidholic, previously shown by mobile, nicer pic with the new camera. There's another full wall of orchids to the right of the pic, as well as another corridor down the back. Daniel isn't there weekends, but the salesgirl was kinda nice too. Picked up 3 fragrant phals and one fading zygo on the salesrack for $5 each.

From Everything Orchids!

Dtps I-Hsin Goldfish (label typo says phal and gildfish...grrr, I hate inaccuracy).

From Everything Orchids!

Both bollopetalums Midnight Blue 'Cardinal's Roost' (another typo, says bolopetalum. Grrr. Did I mention I hate typos?!) Fell in love with this color, came out pretty accurately in the pics.

From Everything Orchids!

From Everything Orchids!

A noid zygopetalum, best pic I can get of the faded flower.

From Everything Orchids!

Moved Orchids Back To Patio

They're back on the southeast side of the house. They were doing ok on the south side since April when the deck was demolished. Thought about leaving them at the current location but the sun beats down on them at the hottest time of the day around 2pm. Yesterday it got to 95° under the shade cloth with the lowest humidity, and there's no airflow, while at least on the southeast side it was 88°.

Now they'll get direct morning sun until about 11am, and more air movement. At least they won't be under direct sun when it's hottest with the lowest humidity.

Book - Borkmann's Point, a Van Veeteren Mystery

This was so boring!! I had a really hard time finishing it, and almost wanted to give up, which rarely happens to me. I usually like slower-paced, psychological works, and on first impression, this seemed to fit the bill. The author's revealed the killer by the earlier middle of the book, and from then on it's a chess game, with move and counter-move. That's when I got expectant, and got really disappointed. Can't tell if it's the writing, or the translation, but it was so tedious I didn't care anymore. Part of the problem could be that I'm not a chess fan, therefore many of the possibly clever allusions went over my head. Again, I still don't care about VV or any other characters, nor the setting.

I'm pretty tenacious, though, so on to the next installment. Still makes for better reading than so much of the other junk out there.

Someone's brutally, and literally, whacking people in a small town, where, coincidentally, VV's been on vacation. So he's roped into helping with the investigation, since he's already there.

Book - Mind's Eye, a Van Veeteren Mystery

Read this sometime last month, maybe? Just like Mankell's series, the publishers released this first one as the 3rd book, I think. So I started with this. It was just ok. I wasn't thrilled as I was with Wallander, since I couldn't figure this guy out, and didn't really care to try. Who sticks a toothpick in his mouth anymore?! *eye rolling* I don't mind cliches, but this one really bothered me. At least the subtle humor was engaging, and the story ok, even if it was really disappointing to know who the killer pretty much at the start. The location and other characters weren't very engaging to me either. Glad I decided to rent them from the library first, won't be buying them.

Nice teacher gets put away for killing his wife. Had an alcoholic blackout, no defense, gets convicted and killed while in jail. Things look much darker as they start digging below the surface of these seemingly ordinary people.

Paparazzi Shot of Ginza

Caught in a candid....and dare I say it....compromising position! LOL.

From Kitties

Really Hot Week

It's been a/c time all week, except yesterday. The humidity's dropped alarmingly to 15%, and I've had to run around misting everything outside, and running the humidifier inside round the clock. Thank god I remembered that thing, it's been a life-saver for the orchids!! Still, phal buds are blasting all over the place, to be expected, so no biggie.

Repotting Resumes

* Cym Evening Star 'Bethlehem'
* Blc Ports of Paradise 'Emerald Isle'
* Slc Vallezac 'Evelyn'

All-Pet Airline!!

Gosh, I hope this one succeeds!!! What a great idea. I would love that this service is available to our critters when we need to relocate to another U.S. city. Although the really long flying times give me pause. Maybe in the future it'll expand abroad, which is what I really need.

On The Lighter Side...."Cats Do Control Humans"

Well, after that rant, I need to have something funny. Just caught this cute article in Yahoo!News. There's even a pic of an orange kitty with his head on the pillow and the covers over him just like my Mozart.

Poor Pixie Loses A Claw

Oh, how ghastly. Poor little thing must be in a lot of pain. She's very quiet, no purring, and favors her right paw by not scratching on the post or marching on us.

Last night she fell off the cat house. She seems to be just as clumsy as Mozart was! She smacked into the cabinet door on the way down, and that must have been how her pinky claw got ripped out. She shook her head real hard and shivered, then ran off into the sanctuary of 'her' guest room. I got her and cuddled her a bit and took her over to Hubby for more cuddles, and then I saw a big blood smear on his arm. She let me see the ripped claw, then she ran back to her sanctuary, but about an hour later she slowly came out to guard-cat the stairs like usual, so that was a good sign. Then she slept on the floor on my side of the bed, staring at the 'evil' cat house, trying to figure out what happened? LOL. I found the bloody nail, and it just killed me.

This morning she seems to have stopped bleeding. Will keep an eye on it for infection. Poor poor thing. I just can't stand it when they're hurt, even if this little.

RANT: Did a google search on it, seems to be a common thing, primarily because people don't trim their kitties' nails and it snags. Must be a lot of freak accidents like ours, too, I'm sure. I get freaking unbelievably aggrieved about the comments that their cats 'aren't in pain' and 'seem fine'. How the HELL would they freaking know??? Why don't *they* try ripping a nail off and see how that feels. OF COURSE the cat's in pain. They're just not going to complain and whine and scream about it like humans. They're animals!! They show pain in the wild, they get killed and eaten! Which is why they hide! Hello! The pain signs are there if you know what to look for. God, that pushes my buttons!!!! Ok, I'm done.

What's Growing Now!

Columbine

From Flowers

The cutest little geranium. Love the color of the flowers and leaves.

From Flowers

Nemesia and cosmos.

From Flowers

What's Growing - Dahlias

I love dahlias. I have tons of them everywhere. Right now these are making an appearance:

From Flowers

From Flowers

From Flowers

From Flowers

From Flowers

Ames ReelEasy Portable Hose Reel

The cutest little reel, light and easy to roll hose. It's just 50', but plenty for what I need in the patio. I like it. Important thing to remember is to never leave the water on with a closed nozzle. The pressure builds and bursts this very thin lightweight hose. That's the trade-off. Bought at Lowes.

From Misc

Ginza Is Tired After All The Orchid Books

From Kitties

Movie - Volver

Not a bad movie, except I really couldn't stand that Penelope Cruz's character pretty much runs around the entire time crying. Enough already!

The theme in this Almodovar movie is father figure pedophiles and trust. Of course, as in most of his movies, the overarching theme is his fascination with women and relationships, in this case mothers and daughters. There's token appearances by men, but the message is that they're a burden and aren't needed. Like life after the wars, when there were few men, the women had to build lives without them.

There's a couple big twists in the story, and it's a interesting look at women. Overall ok, but my reaction is more of a 'meh'.

An Hour Later - Fog Lifts A Bit

Ahhh - Summer In The City.

Now *this* is a more typical view - socked in by fog.

Radiata Fragrance!

Woohoo! Fragrance! Fragrance! Today already a strong wonderful scent from the first opened flower! Jasmine-y, heavier, not too sweet. Love it! 2 more flowers opened on the other spike. Heavenly!!

Pic in this entry, and my first pic of it.

Orchid Collection

Copied my spreadsheet list over to one of the orchid forums I just registered on today. Figured it'd be nice to have a list on my own blog! Adding my own growing pictures in links as I find them in my files.

Cattleya Group
Blc Arabesque 'Golden Zebra'
Blc Beamer (Lc Little Sunbeam 'Golden Ray' x Blc Horizon Flight 'Happy Landing')
Blc Bryce Canyon 'Splendiferous' x Pot Bobby Brown 'Watermelon Wine'
Blc Burdekin 'Lakeland'
Blc Chia Lin 'New City'
2 Blc George King 'Serendipity'
Blc Golden Tang
2 Blc Greenwich "Elmhurst"
Blc Haadyai Delight 'Bangprom Gold'
Blc Hawaiian Wizard 'Carmela'
Blc Horizon Flight 'Happy Landing' x L anceps 'Splish Splash'
Blc Lawless Walkiire 'The Ultimate'
Blc Mem Crispin Rosales 'Costa Mesa'
Blc Mem Lancer Smith (label reads Blc Mac Holmes 'Midnight' x Blc. Goldenzelle 'Gold Lou')
2 Blc Momilani Rainbow
Blc Morning Glory x Sunset
Blc Ports of Paradise 'Emerald Isle'
Blc Primate 'Daffodil' x C. Wolteriana 'Select Orange' (reg Blc Raspberry Lemonade)
2 Blc Spring Dawn 'Top Row' x Lc Mem Robert Strait 'Carmela' (reg Blc Hawaiian Fascination)
Blc Toshie Aoki 'Pizzazz' x Blc. Garrett Sullivan 'Frank Shride' (reg Blc Banana Royale)
Blc Zul 'Waiomao Fantasy'
2 NoID Catts
Catt Chocolate Drop
Catt Lulu x Penny Kuroda (reg C Pink Leopard)
Catt Nigrella 'Bow Mar' x (Lc. Pirate King 'Port Wine' x Blc Malibu Gem)
2 Catt Ranger Six 'A-OK' x Catt harrisoniana Alba 'Candida'
Catt schroederae 'Will' x Catt schroederae 'Frank'
Catt Snow Blind
Dial Snowflake x Catt Princess Bells
Iwan Apple Blossom
Iwan Apple Blossom 'Mendenhall'
L purpurata carnea x self
L purpurata v. werkhauseri
2 Lc Angel's Treasure 'Hawaii'
2 Lc Ann Akagi x Angelwalker 'OC' (reg Lc Pink Gem)
Lc Clown's Nose 'Valentine'
Lc Colorguard
Lc Drumbeat x Slc Hazel Boyd
Lc Fiery Walkeriana x Minipurple
Lc Golden Girl 'Madrid'
Lc Koolau King
Lc Lisa Ann x Waikiki Gold) x Slc Dixie Jewels 'Suzuki' (reg Blc Golden Triangle 'Pisgah')
Lc Mari's Song (Irene Finney x C. Cherry Chip)
Lc Mari's Song x C loddigesii 'Streeter's Choice' (reg Lc Philip Streeter)
Lc Melecio Huerta 'Senor Perfecto'
2 Lc Mem June Little x C Snow Blind
Lc Mem Robert Strait 'Blue Hawaii'
Lc Mini Song 'La Primera Morada'
Lc Preface 'Angelic' x C Horace 'Maxima' (reg Lc New Journey)
Lc Sagarik Wax 'African Beauty'
Lc Tahoe Rose v. Coerulea
Lc Terry Dupriest x C So. Schroederae 'Will'
Lc Tokyo Magic x C Little Dipper
Pot Caesar's Head '#1' x Blc Toshi Aoki 'Pizzaz'
Pot Cloud's Creek 'Heavenly Scent'
Pot Full Circle (Blc Normans Bay 'Gothic' x Slc Mahalo Jack)
Slc Calif Apricot 'Orange Circle' x C. Highlight 'Angel Wings'
Slc George Hausermann 'York'
2 Slc Jewel Box 'Sheherazade'
2 Slc My Buddy 'Culmination'
Slc Vallezac 'Evelyn'

Phalaenopsis Group
Dtps Chiada Carmela's Jewel x Dtps Taisuco Verve
Dtps Fire Cracker 'Orinda' x Phal (Sands Whim x Golden Harvest) Isa
2 Dtps I-Hsin Goldfish
2 Dtps Kenneth Schubert 'Tokai Blue' x Phal violacea
2 Dtps Little Purple Jewel
2 Dtps Taihort Beauty x Phal Taisuco Daisy
Dtps Taisuco Luxury x Dtps Taisuco Treasure
Dtps Taisuco Pioneer x Phal Taisuco Glory
Dtps Yu Pin Shirasagi
9 NoID Phals
Phal amabilis
Phal bellina violacea 'Borneo'
Phal Nobby's Amy
Phal Sogo Vivier x Shang Sheng Angel
Phal TMY0697 Dated 6/11/2007 Taiwan
Phal violacia v Malaysia
Phal violacia v sumatra
2 Phal Yu Pin Acacia x Phal violacea

Cymbidiums
9 NoID Cyms
Cym Evening Star Bethlehem
Cym Girl Crazy 'Mardi Gras'
Cym Gold Beach 'Great White'
Cym Golden Elf 'Sundust'
Cym Lady Fire 'Red Angelica'
Cym Leodogron Cradlemont
Cym Lipper 'Leopard'
Cym Mainsten 'Hurrah'
2 Cym Minneken 'Pink Peak'
Cym Olymilum 'White Elf'
3 Cym Pelleas 'Merah'
Cym Pelleas 'Tintagil'
2 Cym Pretty Pink
Cym Ruby Eyes 'Red Baron'
Cym Ruby Sarah 'Gemstone'
Cym Showgirl 'Linda Crystal'
Cym Solana Beach x President Van Buren 'Pink Dancer'
Cym Solano Beach x Peter Pan
2 Cym Stanley Fouraker 'Fanfare'
Cym Stormy Weather 'Tetons'
4 Cym Summer Dream 'Jacqueline'
5 Cym Summer Nights 'Promenade'
2 Cym Tistroncobb 'Peaches'
2 Cym Tonto's Target
Cym Twilight Pink 'Contessa'
Cym Twilight 'Rheingold'
Cym Vala Craig 'Judy' x Thanksgiving 'Happiness'
Cym Via del Playa x Olymilum
Cym Wallacia 'Burnt Orange'

Everything Else
Bllra Tropic Splendor 'Golden Gate'
2 Blptm Midnight Blue 'Cardinal's Roost
2 Brassia Edvah Loo
2 Darwinara Charm 'Blue Star'
3 Dend antennatum type
Dend kingianum
8 NoID Dend nobiles
Dend nobile Ise x Kurenai
Dend nobile Rainbowdance 'Kuji'
Dend nobile Sanaru Gold 'Sun Glow'
Dend nobile Star Sapphire x Ise 'Yayoi' (reg. Talisman Cove)
Encyclia fragrans
Encyclia radiata
Epi alatum (Enc. alata)
Maxillaria tenuifolia
5 Neofinetia Falcatas
2 Neostylis Lou Sneary 'Bluebird'
Odcdm Pacific Paladium 'Pacific Lava'
Onc Lambada 'Cutey'
Onc ornithorynchum
Onc Sharry Baby "Red Fantasy"
3 Onc Sharry Baby
Onc Twinkle
Onc Twinkle 'CT Yellow'
Paph Pinocchio
Paph Pinocchio x cross
Sarcochilus Melba (Falcatus x hartmannii 'Donovan')
2 Sederia Japonica
4 Zygopetalums

Encyclia Radiata Opened

YIPPEEEEEEEEE!!! Started opening yesterday, lip completely unfurled on the first one today. Ohhhh, I can't wait for the fragrance, maybe in a couple days.

From Everything Orchids!

Found A Classmate

Oh wow. I've been looking for this old high school chum for years. Was email cleaning (yeah, that's right, that's what I got reduced to as an invalid, must be productive!), and Classmates.com was among the spam. I signed up 4 years ago and hadn't visited since, so, what the heck. Went on the site, as a lark searched for her, and there she was!! She signed up a few months back, looks like. Left a note for her, hopefully we can connect again.

Over the years I thought of her, I always hoped she'd be doing well and was happy. Sooooo wonderful to read that she seems to be doing well, living in Texas now, married with TWO kids! Neat.

First Kinda Normal Day

Up and about, kinda normal. Drove ok, no dizziness or anything. Ran some errands, so feeling productive. Returned the busted hose and reel at HD and found a small cute one at Lowe's, along with a couple hot pink salvias. Got the kitty food, and decided that was enough activity for the day.

Went into the yard too, just for a little bit to check on things. Hubby's been watering outside. Garden in full bloom while I was sick, my roses blooming away, and the dahlias are gorgeous. Post pics later.

And watered all the orchids today - the radiata buds started opening!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seems they all forgive me for 2 weeks not watering. Just some of the phal buds blasted, maybe from the non-watering or more likely the scorching weather last week - big humidity fluctuations no good, and I wasn't monitoring.

Hubby's scolding me for pushing too fast, and I guess he's right....I'm dizzy again. But it was worth it. I'm tired of being sick!

Finally Recovering

Feeling a bit more human finally. Up and around a bit. Still not all there.

Couldn't hold food down for days. What a horrible stomach bug it was. Have graduated to soup last couple days.

Feeling A Bit Better

I can't believe I lost so many days getting completely laid out with this awful bug. I wasn't just exhausted on Sunday, I was sick. Thankfully it hasn't gotten worse, and I'm even feeling slightly better this morning, I think.