Cruise Coincidences

 

We went on a cruise around Japan recently and while on one of the shuttles from the ship we noticed one of the other passengers had the same USB backup fan we did.  A different color of course but it was still neat.

I hadn't realized when I got it that it was in the shape of a bear with little ears and all.  I thought the little ears were just bumps to keep it from rolling away, which they don't.

These seem to come in a number of colors but the upshot is that they really do work pretty well.  I prefer to use the fan option as the storage for phone charging really is more for emergencies than anything.  We got secondary backups for the trip which came in really handy.

But for looking stylish and having a good fan I don't think anything I've seen matches this little guy.

Aloe

I've taken care of  many aloe plants during my life.  I first used an aloe plant on a cut before I was ever even in school.  My grandmother cut a piece off of one of the plants around the back of the house and split it open, placing the gooey side on the cut and leaving it there for a minute.  Then she removed it and put on a bandage.

Shortly thereafter she got into the aloe craze and we were drinking the green stuff just about daily.  It wasn't great.

I remember that same company for some reason also had a ph color changing lipstick that she used.  I don't understand the point of it but she thought it was neat.

Years later, several moves, and a wedding later and I found myself taking care of my wife's great uncle's aloe greenhouse.  It only had aloe plants in it, wall to wall.  I watered them so well that several of the plants flowered and he started complaining about the water bill.

After moving to Arlington I got some more aloe plants which I promptly neglected, so much going on, and they died after a couple years.  They're super hardy even when you don't water them much.

This guy though is healthy and as long as I don't leave him in the car too much longer he'll be fine.  I plan to have him on the back porch along with several other plants.  The plumeria we recently got being one of them and it's doing great.  So many new leaves.  I'll probably be repotting that one soon even though it's in a fairly large pot as my pots go.

Texas Transportation

Yep, we live in Texas.  This is what people seem to think when I tell them I'm from Texas and this guy is just keeping the stereotype alive.  Granted, a couple years ago he was probably traveling this same route through a field.  As long as he has his horse properly shoed, this is just fine.  Horseshoes are specifically designed for horses that are being ridden but especially for those who are going to be on hard ground or pavement.

Wild horses of course are not shoed. They live on soft land and need to have their hooves wear away naturally.  Otherwise hooves will get out of hand and be a real mess.  We've seen horses on the side of the main highway before but this is a first.

Amber asked why this guy is riding a horse down the street but  we aren't allowed to have chickens due to the HOA.  Well, this guy isn't in the HOA and he's using a public right-of-way which the HOA really has no control over.  Anyone can use the streets without restriction since they're public.

So, looking at this picture do you think this is sunrise or sunset?  Not telling which direction this was facing since that would obviously give it away.

Water Conservation

It's that time of year again where you're starting to see signs and reminders that we need to be conserving water.  Of course a scene like this one isn't uncommon but it's also usually fixed promptly.  If not then so much water really can just go straight down the drain.  That is to say the storm drain which we have an ample amount of on our street.  It's great.

This of course applies to residential systems too though.  There are a lot of neighbors who are still having their sprinklers aiming badly and streaming straight to the lake.  Sure it helps the lake level (not really) but it's more or less just wasting their money and the water resources.  Of course no matter what we're losing more water due to evaporation from the lake than we're actually using.  It's a huge lake and one of many in the area.  The lake has gone down several feet since the heavy rains that made ramps disappear.  Still haven't made it out to the lake properly since we moved out there though.  Gone to look by but no boating, fishing, swimming, or even just laying a blanket out for a nice picnic. 

That's not to say we don't need to water though.  Watering helps keep the grass from completely dying out and the foundations of all of the houses from cracking and making a total mess of a brand new neighborhood.  Also trying to get trees, bushes, and other plants to be established.  It's quite an undertaking to be sure.

Among our plants we're getting up and going are of course the fig tree, a lovely addition to any home and the joy to many a bird that will without a doubt get used to its presence.  We also have our daylilies going.  At first I though I had killed half of the plants we got since they immediately died back to the dirt.  It's since been put in a pot and has now grown back in several places in the pot, doing great!  Our green onion we've had since forever (I think some of it was from the first house) is bouncing back so well we're ecstatic.  The chives as well are flowering.  The plumeria has roots I can see but so far the leaves haven't unfurled yet.  Super waiting for it.  I also planted three passion fruit seeds.  They've yet to show themselves but you never know with a seed until you know, you know?

One thing I'm thinking of getting is a bay tree.  I know they can grow in this area since there's one in Fort Worth in the historic pioneer house attraction but not sure how much care it's going to need.

If you have a favorite plant you've grown, please let us know in the comments.  Especially if it's something I can grow in my own yard.