With a New Camera Come Photos!!

Several years ago I was given a greatly overgrown orchid in a 15 inch clay pot requiring a hand ax to break pot and divide orchid into 5 smaller clumps, which were given homes in much smaller pots.. I decided the best place for so many new plants was my back patio. Squirrels ate 3 of them by the next afternoon. The remaining 2 still live outside in partial shade, in the front away from squirrels, but because I'm not good about watering they depend primarily on Mother Nature to see to their needs.  They do count on me to bring them inside when the temps drop. Last winter I forgot one night when it dipped into the 20's and, of course, they froze. I rationally and fully expected them to turn black and that would be that.  HOWEVER they stayed mostly green, and a couple of weeks ago one of these incredibly hearty plants presented me with THIS!! The two beautiful tiny blooms are only 1-3/4 inches from tip to tip and last only 14 days. Mother Nature did a REALLY good job this year! This is considered a "native" orchid because it is one that can be found in nature as opposed to the hybrids that retailers sell these days. It's of the cattleya family but I don't k now the exact variety or name. I do know it will survive temps from the 20's to over 100!!

This is a large photo and at 768x1024 is wallpaper size, if anyone is interested in d/l. If you do, please leave a comment. Thanks!

Flowers received from my BFF for my recent birthday! The bouquet ordered had a bear HUGGING the vase - a representation of all the hugs she's sent my way in recent months! I was just so surprised and honored she thinks of me in this way, and love the bear regardless! She's now sitting atop the CPU just to the left of me on my desk. 1-5-09 Update: I'm drying what's left of the roses and have clipped off the spent lilies, but all except one of the little pink carnations are still very lovely, as are the fern and greenery.

DD and DH (DD cooked Bobby Flay's Eggplant Parmesan for me, coating it with Doritos, along with a pan of roasted veggies and cookies made solely out of crushed almonds and honey with a bit of blackberry jam, and also a mug of tapioca pudding with crushed pineapple dessert for a gluten-free, sugar-free meal! - well, except for the bit of honey :D )

My Parents:

My new step-granddaughters:

 

DD reading Night Before Christmas to ... and this came as a sudden shock when I realized it only a couple of hours ago ... her grandson. Wish I had realized this at that sweet moment!

I don't have any intent to distract or take away from my DD's precious moment, but the truth is that the simple act of reading to a grandchild is something I will never get to do - as much as I have wanted grandchildren since I was a kid and had 2 of the greatest grandmothers on earth. I couldn't wait for my turn. But never to be, and I have reluctantly come to terms with that fact of life.