The last of the rogue heliconias

The heliconias I had planted in the side garden bed had grown with wild abandon and had taken over the entire bed.....and had also migrated into my herb garden....yet AGAIN!!
I complained about them already here.

 

 The flowers were beautiful but they were out of control....it was time for them to go.

They were not going without a fight however....those brutes gave me a really HARD TIME to dig them out.
The rhizomes had spread thickly and their mat-like growth was tough and tedious for my two (yes, I said two) garden forks to pierce through.
It was a chore that took me several days to complete.

The rogue heliconias from hell sure did give me a run for my money to uproot them....I think I even heard their maniacal laughter as I continued to sweat and dig....sweat and dig....sweat and dig.
True gardeners will understand when I say that I had to stop several times to change my soaking wet clothing in between every few clumps I managed to dig up.

How could such a pretty plant be such a beast throwing its weight about in the garden?

The soil was nice and dark and looked quite healthy and maybe that's why they grew so rampant.

Thank goodness I had a plant swap and another plant swap where I could donate them to others....but with a stern warning to be careful with their growth habit.

Even though I was glad to get rid of the heliconias, I am going to miss their flowers....maybe I'll consider growing a few special ones in a pot to keep them contained....yes I think that's what I'll do, but in the meantime what should I plant in their just vacated space?
Stay tuned.

A date with my friend the Moon

I had a special date last night...a date with a special friend that lights up my life every night.
My date had sent me a special invitation to see him in all his glory in the performance of his life.
"I will be conducting my Super Moon, Lunar Eclipse, Blood Moon display for the whole world to see.  You have to attend this special performance, my partners the Sun and the Earth will also be performing, I couldn't do it without them. I haven't performed this show since 1982 and  I won't be doing it again until 2033," he told me.
Wow I was impressed, I couldn't wait to attend.
All week long the anticipation was killing me, several reminders popped into my Inbox like this one.

My friend The Moon did not disappoint.

On stage at the scheduled time, he began his show and dance number as a Super Moon (bigger and brighter and closer to Earth than usual), displaying his creativity and talent for all to see.
At first he started out slow as if shy, but then as the eclipse show progressed, he burst into a resplendent blood red hue which held my gaze for a while.

 

 Super Blood Moon - a rare astronomical event

The bright twinkling stars in the sky were his backup dancers but tonight they paled in comparison.
By the time it was all over, he was back to his usual self.

 What a show!!!  Outstanding!!!   Bravo!!! Bravo!!
The link below will explain how special this performance was.
http://video-embed.masslive.com/services/player/bcpid1949030308001?bctid=4504931126001&bckey=AQ~~,AAAAQBxUOok~,jSZP67EiqBfkIeiCdBewgHg1-uVWQxpS

To see pictures of the Blood Moon around the world click here.

Open your ear and hear

That saying has been said many times over and over by the actors in the African movies that I became addicted to many years ago.
For the past few days my sweet boy Brownie had been shaking his ears so violently that I thought his head would fall off.
He would be okay and then all of a sudden he would just start this wild shaking of his ears, as if he were trying to dislodge a bug that may be inside.
I cleaned both ears and checked them both but nothing came to light.
I know ear mites move around more at night but he was shaking during the day as well.
My vet is an old-school vet and in the past he had recommended Mineral Oil to be placed in Brownie's ears if he started scratching his ears....the oil suffocates the mites....it always worked....it didn't this time though.
Brownie then started trying to get his entire foot into his ear while he was scratching his ears....he looked miserable.
Ear infections are not to be played around with...they can result in deafness if not treated properly.
It was a nasty itch that's for sure....I'd had enough and I'm sure he had too.
Today we took a ride down to see our favourite vet.

 

 Are you sure I'm just going to have my ears checked?

This building looks so different...are you sure we're the right place?

...and those animal statues atop the wall....are you really sure Mum?

Yes Brownie, we are at the right place...remember there is a new building now.

I lifted him out of the vehicle and headed inside to our usual warm welcome.
We waited our turn with four playful puppies and a cute little dog that had sprained its back.
The good old doc checked Brownie's ears thoroughly...he didn't see anything in there but they were a bit red from all the scratching.
He prescribed an antibiotic ointment....and the first dose was applied immediately.

Otomax ointment is a combination steroid, antibacterial, and antifungal ear medication labeled for otic use in dogs only.
Prescribed twice a day for 7 days.
I figured since we were already there I'd have the anal glands expressed as well....easy peasy.
No sooner than the bill was paid did many more patients arrive in dire need of medical attention.

 ...and so the good doc hustled back inside....

....after turning to wave us goodbye.

Until next time.

Pumpkin Carrot Ginger Soup

Daughter dear has been fighting an awful cold for a few days, so I decided to make some hot soup to help with the healing process.
I love a hot soup.....one that fills your innards and warms you up immediately.....just the thing for a cold day, but in this instance it was a coldy coughy mucusy day.

 

Into the pot of water went:
a large piece of pumpkin cut into small pieces
2 large carrots cut into small pieces
a big piece of fresh ginger peeled and cut into small pieces .....throw the large leftover piece that is full of strands into the pot as well.
one large onion sliced
several sprigs of fresh Guyanese thyme...strip the leaves off (regular thyme can be used)
one tablespoon of Bajan seasoning (minced blend of herbs)
one tablespoon of salt
one tablespoon of sunflower oil.

Cook everything till nice and tender.  Remove the large piece of ginger.
Pour the well cooked veggies (with the water) into the blender in batches and blend until smooth ...about 2 minutes per batch.

Your reward?  Nice creamy tasty soup fit for a king/queen.
Reheat and garnish with fresh herbs and serve with Italian herbal crackers.
Yummy yummy yummy and will warm you up or knock that dreaded cold out of your system....presto!!

We miss you

The hardest part wasn't losing you,
 it was learning to live without you.

Steve

One year already.....can't believe how fast the time has gone by....we miss you.