New Features Added

 The inclement weather this weekend has prohibited any outdoor gardening, but it has given me an opportunity to work on the blog and add a couple of features that I want to tell you about.

Google Translator: On the upper right-hand side of the homepage you will see a new feature labeled "Translate", with a drop-down menu that allows you to view my blog in any of 110 different languages. Try it  yourself..just "click-on" Select Language , pick a language & enjoy.

The other feature is embedded in the Blogger code (Blogger is Google's blogging software). If you "click" on any photo on the blog, it will open in a full-size version & display all of the other photos on that page as thumbnails along the bottom of the screen. You can scroll through all those photos without having to read the narrative. So, if you're searching for a particular photo, you can review them en masse' as opposed to one at a time.

Nov 17, 2025 - UPDATE:

This morning I added another new feature to the blog that seems highly appropriate after the last few days..a 

Weather Widget . Placed in the upper-right corner, it will most likely be the first thing you see when you log in..enjoy.

Rain, Rain & More Rain

Nov. 16, 2025 

This is our 3rd straight day of rain..very much a typical early, taste-of-winter storm for us. This storm has been a real "soaker"with few breaks in-between the squalls carrying tropical moisture in addition to a preview of the coming rainy season that we call "winter".

My "little trees" not only  came through this storm, they are absolutely thriving..they look happier & healthier this morning than usual, due to the rain that has cleaned the air and given the plants a deep drink of clean, fresh water & hopefully flushed many of the toxins & chemical water treatment residues that build-up over time.

Unfortunately, I only have access to municipal water here, which is not great. The only alternative is either bottled water or some sort of water filtration system, which sounds extreme, just to water some plants, but seeing the visible improvements to their foliage, posture, color makes me think that I need to spend some time finding out if I can improve the situation at a reasonable cost.

the calm before the storm..

Nov. 12-13, 2025

There's a BIG low-front, probably the 1st Alaska Low of the season moving in & the weather forecasts are calling for a multi-day rain event, statewide. Looking at the weather radar, you can see that this one might be our first real winter storm. Keeping that in mind, I want to get a few things done before the rain hits.

There are a number of trees that need their potting mix refreshed, the soil having settled, due to compaction & loss of soil due to frequent watering. Also, this will give me an excuse to get a look at the roots & to get a general sense of the plants health & rate of growth since their last re-pot.

First victim, Dracaena or Dragon Tree: de-potted & immediately saw impressive root growth, with long, white (healthy) roots encircling the root ball, as well as many feeder roots fanning out from the center. I unwound the circling roots & was pretty surprised at the amount of root growth..if you're interested in knowing more about this process & how the plant was affected, you can read a more detailed account on this plants history page if you click here 

Next up was my Star Jasmine: this little tree has been totally trouble-free, to the extent that I had forgotten to register him & set-up a History page. The Jasmine, like the Dracaena, showed what I considered impressive root growth, which required substantial pruning before re-potting in a small bonsai tray..your can read a more detailed account & view photos here