Update

I am planning to add all my recipes to this blog when I get home

Just how many orchids do I have? Plus my cactus collection!

Here are the miniature and baby orchids that i keep under a light inside...And here are some that need repotted.... one of these has a big fat bud on it!

And these are on my screened in back porch to the left of the door....

And these are on the screened in porch to the right of the door...
And these are the ones on the great orchid shelf mu husband built me, with my cactus colection on top!

And here is my lovely cactus collection, compliments of my friend Elizabeth in Arizona! Aren't they beautiful And they take so much heat and sun, I don't have any other plants like them at all.

What is blooming at my house right now!

So here is my vanilla orchid! It hasn't bloomed yet, but it is long enough now! it is wrapped around and around this 4 foot trellis.
And this is a pretty dendrobium my daughter and son in law bought me in Hawaii on their honeymoon. It is the first time it has bloomed since I got it.

This one is a little blurry, but is a very pretty orchid - the blooms are only about an inch across, but the white spots and yellow lip are very dramatic!

And this is just plain beautiful!

I love the fringe on this orchid!

Spring at my house

I really think the trees at our house are beautiful in the spring, mostly compliments of my husband, who loves to keep everything looking nice. So here are a few pictures to enjoy, since I couldn't get it all in one.Looak how greeeeeeeen that grass is. Also note the NEW and very small bushes by the front walk.

Christmas in Colorado

So this year, for the very first time, I spent Christmas away from home, and went to visit my daughter in Colorado. It was VERY cold - sub zero at some time on most days in Summit County - with a little bit of snow most days. Of course the forecast was to warm up a little after we left! And interestingly enough, there was more ice in our subdivision when we arrived home than I saw anywhere in Colorado. I got to ski 2 days, and Chris skied 5 days, and we got to see Juls almost every day, which was very nice, since I hadn't seen her in over a month, and Chris hadn't seen her since October.

The strangest thing for me was Christmas eve and Christmas day. Usually I am a whirling dervish finishing the wrapping, cooking, cleaning and getting ready for the holiday, followed by a house full of family on Christmas day, with a big meal with all the trimmings. But when you are staying in a hotel, there is no cooking or cleaning to be done. Wrapping consisted of putting bows on presents I had shipped already wrapped, and stuffing everything else in a gift bag - I even ran out of tissue paper. On Christmas day, it was too cold for me to ski ( but not for Chris, of course, he went out and froze his toes with the best of them) so I watched 5 hours of a Bones marathon, before going to dinner with Chris and Julia and a friend. It was undoubtedly the most relaxing Christmas day I have ever had. Not sure I would want to do this every year, but it was nice to try it once.

No new orchids bloomed while we were gone, but there are 12 with spikes on them, and 2 that bloomed before I left, that I need to post pictures of. The kitties were a little spooked when we got back, but here is a picture that charmed us before we left!

Thanksgiving Orchids?

Yes, for some reason, my orchids are exploding and I have 6 beautiful plants in bloom, pictures below. I have another 10 or 12 with bud spikes which will bloom in the next few months, so expect more pictures.

The weekend before Thanksgiving, we did another hike at Clear Creek Metro Park. A great hike but VERY steep the first half mile or so - I thought I was going to die. I'm going to have to start taking pictures. I'm also going to have to get in better shape - who knew there were steep hills in Ohio, of all places?

Over Thanksgiving, we had the traditional family feast gathering, minus my younger daughter Julia for the first time, who we missed. We failed to take pictures of this also. I am seeing a trend forming here, we are going to have to do better at picture taking!

We went to a Cleveland Cavaliers game over the long weekend - my very first! Let me tell you, they know how to entertain you! It was nice that the Cavs beat Dallas, but I'll tell you, I think the unicyclist who did the halftime show was the most entertaining of all! The young breakdancers who performed at the breaks were also quite talented. I'm convinced, everyone should go to at least one Cavs game.

Here are pictures of what is blooming now, for those of you suffering through the grey midwest rainy fall drizzle!

Fall Weekends

Another beautiful fall weekend in Columbus, and so we went for another hike. We have this book about 50 hikes in Ohio, and this week was our second hike, at Darby Creek MetroPark. It was supposed to be 4 miles and take 3 hours. I definitely agree with the 4 miles, but it took about an hour and a half. There was some hilly moments, but mostly just a nice walk in the woods. It was not a paved path, like most of last weeks walk, but definitely easier to follow. It was an oak and hickory forest, and I'm not sure I saw one maple or beech tree! Of course, with no leaves, I could be mistaken! Once again, it was brisk and windy, but the trees blocked most of the wind, and there was a couple of beautiful views of Darby Creek, and the confluence of the Little Darby and Big Darby Creeks.

I have another orchid starting to bloom, which makes 3 now., with another 8 or so starting bud spikes. People ask me why I like orchids, and this is why. It is gray and November, and here is a group of plants that STARTS to bloom in november, and continues on through the winter! It cheers me up just thinking about it! Here are pictures of what is blooming now!