The flowers come, sprout, spread, then wither and die. No pods.
And the leaves are almost always having some aphids sticking underneath them. I wouldn't have minded that for all I care, but then, there are no fertilized flowers that will show me some colors other than green and white, so I would be on the lookout on how to perform artificial pollination.
I hope to make this work - many flowers are waiting!
Till then!
(wiki.answers.com)
Here is a picture of my yellow phal. I really thought that it was very difficult to take care of this mysterious orchid, but I was wrong. It is even easier to take care of than a dendrobium. Just bright light and a continuous breeze whole day, and the watering can go from weekly to bi-weekly. And they will thrive.
Here goes!
it can serve the purpose of clearing doubts, or correcting assumptions, or gleaning new nuggets of wisdom. There are always new things (if we can call them new) every now and then.
So here goes:
Orchid Basics
A comprehensive guide to care and cultivation
by Brian & Sara Rittershausen
Orchids to Know and Grow
I intended to supply only a few words on the books, as I want you to know the good merits from these books - firsthand.
Image by hbl via FlickrYesterday, Sunday, my wife got an eyesore with some of the leafy plants at home. She would usually be thrilled with the flowers (orchids, cyclamens, begonias), but she would be irked by some inconsistencies in the sceneries sporting leaves, purely leaves.
An emergency move was done, and I was set to repotting (which was planned for some time already when the flowering plants were seen to be overgrowing their small pots. And of course, I was 'experimenting' with some of the leafy varieties, cutting some and planting those cut stems. Most wilted, I could say, due to the non-mature age. I know, because at least one of them I saw to be shooting out roots. I guess that is what she saw, the wilted plants!
And the orchids, especially the phalaenopsis and dendrobiums, are directly under the sun. I am trying to see if these can tolerate the midday sun right at our front door. We get the morning sun, midday sun, and the afternoon sun. Our balcony is more of the bright light, but not the sun directly, only at the later part of the day, evening time, then some sunlight peeks at the balcony; I think about 3 days, and the sunburn at the leaves of the phalaenopsis is becoming more and more evident, so I told my best half about it, and we were off to the major rearrangement!
The begonias and cyclamens that were in the balcony before, at the opposite side where the sunlight doesn't shine, were brought out and put right in front of the main door - as if to make you be greeted by flowers when you open the doors! And the orchids were transferred to their original place: from the midday sun, the orchids would still be receiving bright light and good breeze, without the scorching midday sun. Boy, isn't that a lot of heat to take?
As I've come to refresh and add to my knowledge about orchids, I am hoping that my collection now will start to grow, both biologically and numerically.
The balsams, planted from seeds, were a fiasco. I think these packets of seeds are a no-good way to start with. I've tried it back then, and the results are consistent: nothing grew, not even one. I was in need of more soil, and I have several pots big and small (I think 4 of them) with soil and the supposedly seedlings that were being grown. I tried to spade off the soil in the pot with the Anaheim chili seeds, and knowing where I've situated the lot, I dig on the soil around that area. Primary goal is to use the soil, and second is to check on the seeds. I was happy that they are actually growing; the roots are starting to come out, measuring about 5mm already! A month and a half ago, I was able to grow Cayenne chili from seeds, and about a week ago, the capsicum seeds were also sowed, and they grew! The Anaheim chili seeds are my second batch to be sown, the first batch, about 3 weeks ago, failed. These were from dried seeds. I guess I haven't learned that skill yet, sowing from dried seeds. The Cayenne chili seeds were from mature pods that were not dried, simply taken out from almost-decaying pods, specifically set aside for the seeds for sowing. The capsicum and the Anaheim, having learned from the failed batch from dried seeds, were both sown from seeds of pods while they are fresh - can be used in seasoning. I did that because I saw in one of the books that we have at home (I wasn't using my resources properly, you see) stated it in one of the methods of propagation, using other fruit as example, of course. Then I learned from my primary school kids that competition among plants and trees happen when their root systems are adjacent and crossing bounds - one's roots would tend to 'grab' the soil nutrients faster than the other - and that makes them healthy (or should I say, healthier?) Using that updated knowledge, I put the seeds about 3 inches away from each other in a rectangular pot, and there they are growing nicely.
The capsicums are doing the same, as if they are trying to catch up with the cayennes, and the leaves are just starting to come out. With the Anaheim seeds already germinating, 2 to 3 more months, I should be seeing those pods soon, very soon!
I have to say that I enjoy watching the pods change color as they go through the stages of maturity from the flower, to the ripened pods. And what way to enjoy them more when the leaves and pods are used in savory dishes?
So hopefully, we will have our own backyard in pots, providing greens, flowers and fruits (pods), adding beauty and spicing up dishes.
Image via Wikipedia
When you are trying to live a more frugal life and you enjoy being creative then it is important to set up a craft budget. Crafts and supplies can be very expensive but by learning your personal arts and crafts style you can better distribute your craft allowance.
This may not help you know where to place your money but it will help narrow down what your arts and crafts style is. Also, do not be surprised if you enjoy doing a little (or a lot!) of both crafts and art.
How much do the arts and crafts supplies cost?
If you are looking to see if there is a market for your work then you might try starting on a smaller scale. Ebay.com or etsy.com are excellent ways for you to sell your product. You can produce only one or two items and try to sell them before spending the money to make large quantities.
Lifted from Ezine article directoy with the same title:![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=e0e41d7e-02bd-4f72-b799-4ede8b06967c)
Well, here is one article from one of the dailies that tells, or rather, narrates, what it is to be a parent. We went through an ordeal of raising a family about 8 years ago, when my wife gave birth to our third daughter, while the eldest was yet a mere 3-year old girl, and our second girl was just a 2-year old baby.
Admittedly, those past 8 years were tough times for us, my wife especially. We can only look back now.
And I am writing this post today, which means WE SURVIVED! WE MADE IT!
RECENTLY, my son has been bugging my wife for a baby sister. And a kitten. I won't go into detail, suffice it to say that he has read Peter Mayle's Where Did I Come From and realised that daddy and mummy can produce one if they put their bodies together. A baby sister, that is - not the kitten.
Anyway, back to parenthood: Some people take to it like a duck to water, some people just ... duck. It's understandable. Having a child is easy: Impregnate wife, wait 40 weeks or so and, voila, a child is born. 
Gina Ford, for example recommended having a routine for your child: When to wake, eat, sleep, etc. She didn't say how one should deal with the screaming match when they refused to sleep on cue.
Just the other day, my son broke a glass bottle on the kitchen floor. Of course, I was grumbling as I cleaned up the mess, but then I looked at my son who, teary-eyed and lips quivering said: "Daddy, I'm sorry, please don't be angry." And all that grumbling just dissipated. 
Taken from TODAY, Kids - Monday, 26-April-2010![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=efa70344-ac51-410f-8c5f-6585e432ac13)
I say, this is hitting the 'self-righteous' on the head with a nail… ooopppsss! I mean hitting the nail right on the head of the 'self-righteous'! Errhh… Whatever, this is hitting the point right home. Kudos! ---------- You can't force people to care; neither should those in need be rude about it Letter from Esther Lim THERE has been much debate over the issue of giving up of seats on the MRT to those who are in need. In trying to encourage social graciousness and compassion, let's not forget that nobody owes anybody anything. It's not wrong to be hopeful, but I'm not sure you should expect someone to give up his seat for you when needed. It is simply impossible to command someone to be compassionate. It has to come from the heart. Why can't someone who's entitled to a seat sit comfortably? Why is he expected to be on a constant lookout for anyone who needs a seat more than him? If that's the case, I would rather stand at a cozy corner and do whatever I choose instead of being seated, lest I be judged for not offering my seat because I was too engrossed in my book or taking forty winks. Social graciousness is also about being tolerant, understanding and less judgmental of those who do not appear to have lived up to expected norms. I do not think it right for someone full of righteous indignation to fulfil his personal need to do good, regardless of whether the situation warrants it, such as by demanding that someone give up his seat for someone else. Perhaps the three groups - the needy, the passive commuters and the self-righteous - should strive to come to a common understanding. The needy can be hopeful but should treat kindness as a privilege, not an obligation. Commuters should be encouraged, and not pressured or made to feel obligated or be judged. The self-righteous should exercise discretion when deciding whether the situation truly warrants their interference, bearing in mind that their interference does not make them any more compassionate than those whom they victimised. Someone who is silently enduring a bad case of migraine might well need a seat more than a pregnant woman in her second trimester carrying a few shopping bags and chatting merrily on her mobile phone. From TODAY, Voices – Monday, 06-Jul-2009; see the source article here.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=9c362316-5ed4-4867-904a-2f346fa5bc30)
AFP - Saturday, May 9
LONDON (AFP) - - British retailer Marks & Spencer admitted Friday it had "boobed" in a row over larger-size bras, agreeing to cut prices for DD-plus cup versions to bring them in line with smaller models.
The climbdown, which came after more than 13,000 people signed an online protest, was welcomed by the 26-year-old woman who launched the campaign on social networking website Facebook.
"I'm absolutely delighted on behalf of all of the women in the group," said Beckie Williams, who wears a 30G bra herself. "We have had 13,500 people join us to support us in this cause, so it's absolutely fantastic," she told GMTV.
Her group, Busts 4 Justice, condemned M & S's two-pound (2.2-euro, 3.0-dollar) surcharge on bras bigger than a DD cup, as "criminally unfair" and urged "busty ladies" to "join forces to end this blatant discrimination".
Williams even bought a share worth 3.40 pounds in Marks and Spencer so she could raise her concerns at the firm's annual general meeting in July.
Announcing its climbdown, the retailer took out full-page ads in national newspapers Friday, with the headline "We Boobed" over a picture of a woman sporting a larger-sized bra.
A spokesperson said: "We've heard what our customers are telling us that they are unhappy with the pricing on our DD-plus bras and that basically we've boobed.
From Saturday the store's bra prices will all be the same, regardless of size, he said, adding: "They'll still be made to the same high standards so you get the best support on the high street."
The retailer previously insisted its bras were priced fairly to include the cost of wider straps and better support, and said customers "have told us they are happy to pay a small premium... for the specialist work".
From Yahoo! News; see the source article here.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=f61995fa-f966-4990-b1c9-3bd565d706ce)
