Links for 21 April 2010

Fleur De Lawn
I love this drought resistant lawn seed mixed with strawberry clover, mini daisies, Sweet Alyssum, and other tiny flowers. It's not a high traffic lawn, but would be lovely surrounding a path. I'm trying to do something similar with bluebells and violets in my back lawn. $29.99/lb.

Haleigh's Family Told To Make Funeral Arrangements, Did Cops Find Body?
The police have told Haleigh Cummings' family how to have the girl officially declared dead. They can either wait 7 years for the State of Florida to issue a death certificate, or they can request a judge to issue a certificate before the 7 years have lapsed.

This Is Apple's Next iPhone
Apple managed to lose the next generation iPhone and Gizmodo got their hands on it. Looks like the new hardware will have a forward facing camera, and an improved back camera with flash. The back is also flat and their is an aluminum frame all around the thing. But I main uses for the phone (besides being a phone) are the camera apps.

Lauren London On The Controversy Surrounding Her Pregnancy: 'It Did Hurt My Feelings'
Lauren London discusses her pregnancy and baby boy(Whose name she has managed to keep private for 6months), and Lil' Wayne.

Links For 25 March 2010

Kimora's Top 10 Parenting Tips
Kimora Lee Simmons gives parenting advice. I think I would take her parenting advice before a lot of other celebs. Her daughters seem polite and well-mannered.


Justin Bieber's Manager- The Mugshot
Justin Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, turned himself for his involvement in the Twitter incited mall riot.

Jesse James: Were There Other Women?
The strippers are starting to come out of the woodwork. And there are allegations of sexual harassment.  Guess nobody told Sandra that you couldn't turn a ho into a housewife. He was married to porn star after all, that says something about his judgment.

Octomom Gets Reprieve From Foreclosure
She knew she couldn't afford that house when she bought it. I guess interest in her family has waned. It happens sooner or later to all baby pimps.

Picture of the Day

I needed an excuse to show off some of the pictures from my garden.

Roses

It's starting to look like Spring. And my mind has turned to roses. Here are the some of the roses I have planted in my yard.

Eden

 

 Brother Cadfael

 

James Galway 

 

I have a fondness for the color pink. Most of the roses I have are blush colored. And somehow all my groundcover has become purple: grape hyacinth, violets, and now the bluebells. I will post actual pictures as things start becoming beautiful.

Bluebells

I was so inspired by the bluebell woods in the movie "Bright Star", that I had to have my own. So I have been waiting for the rain to lift to plant some bulbs. I purchased a hundred bulbs in the green from the English eBay seller, Woodlandbulb. The bulbs cost about $20.90 plus shipping. They lift the bulbs from their own field, as it is illegal to take the increasingly rare flower from the wild in Britain.

I'm not expecting many flowers this year, but gardening is about long term planning.

Rose In Winter

This photo of a frost covered rose from my garden. Tuesday morning everything was covered in ice. The frost covered edges of the rose remind me of frayed silk.

Gardenias

There is nothing more heavenly than gardenias on a hot Summer night. I know it is still Spring, but the nights are in the 70-80 degree range here.

photo Sietske in Beirut

Mothers Day Gift Ideas

Cut flowers make a lovely Mother's Day gift, but why not give a plant that will last for years. Orchids can be less expensive than cut flowers.And many orchids have exotic forms not seen at the florist or grocery.

I have received orchids from Andy's Orchids in the past and they have the best customer service. They didn't just send a plant care guide, they actually called to explain how to take care of the plant. And they have hundreds of different orchids, many are actually mounted on sticks or cork so that you aren't just giving another orchid in a pot.




Paphiopedilum appletonianum, $30

Dracula pysche, $28
A ton more pictures and links to the plants below.




Dendrobium rhodostictum, $35
Bulbopyllum pyschoon,$20
Bulbophyllum ecornutum, $24

Brachtia andina, $20

Wild At Heart

I love everything about this room at the Wild At Heart Flower shop. I love the chalkboard walls, the flowers in the bathtub, and the industrial lighting fixtures. You wouldn't think that those are things that go together well, but it is lovely.

source

California Academy Of Science Opening

The magnificent new California Academy of Science will be opening the 27 September. Admission for Saturday's opening will be free, as are all third Wednesdays of every month. The building with it's huge green roof was designed by Renzo Piano, an internationally acclaimed architect.

I can't wait to go. We won't be going opening weekend unfortunately. My youngest son has a cold. And it's best if we wait until things settle down. A huge crowd with an autistic teenager, a 90 year old with a walker, a tiny, shy little boy, and my mother who will need to take cigarette breaks is a nightmare waiting to happen.It's my own little traveling circus. But if you are in San Francisco go, it's free.

Also opening this week is The Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland. The Bay Area is getting two amazing new buildings.
photo sources

Push Reel Mowers

Much to the amusement of my family I bought an old-fashioned reel mower. Everyone kept telling me that it would be so much harder to push than my gas mower. So not true, my 45 pound son can push it. I love it. It's practically silent so I can mow early in the morning or at dusk, because some days it more than 110 degrees here. And I don't have to feel guilty about all the gas I'm wasting if I mow once a week. $120-$1300

Tree

For the second year in a row a piece of our front tree has broken. The cracking sounded like thunder. And for the second year in a row they have trimmed out just the bit that fell. And we can't cut it ourselves because just trimming it will garner a $1-3000 fine. Hopefully they will take it down this time. Which is to bad because it was a great shade tree, covered the whole lawn. And it broke most of my rose bushes, I am heartbroken.

Roses

Here is a picture of part of my front garden. In a few years it should look like something out of Miss Marple. The calla lilies haven't come up yet. The snapdragons have naturalized, last year they looked like nothing, this year they are practically weeds.