SIXTY

 Age is just a number and all.   But I'm not loving the sound of that. 

Better to think about the gift that keeps on giving, Sophia! We share a birthday and celebrated the duo birthdays this past weekend.  Sophia and Ivan are in Oaxaca, and i can't wait to hear about their adventure. We went on a hike, and landed in a sea of Matilija poppies.  

And as luck would have it, we ran in to the goats for hire. 

Right this minute, I'm having the windows washed - the 2nd story is too high for me to deal with.  Plus the solar panels are getting a scrubbing.  Another task I'd be terrified to do. I spent Monday and Tuesday afternoons moving pots, ladders, etc., away from the house.

I asked Ivan move the big Platycerium superbum off the porch to keep it from being damaged. They are doing a soft pressure wash of the house as well. 

He took the opportunity to add more sphagnum moss to the interior.  

And he mounted a baby I had been neglecting. First a little donut of moss.

And then secured it with fishing line.  He makes this look so very easy.  I can't quite get the hang of it.  

Oh no!  I saw this little alligator lizard hanging on to the vacuum hose for dear life.  When I dipped the net in to help him, I learned he was a fantastic FAST swimmer.  

But he couldn't traverse the edge of the pool.  He rested for a bit and was fine.  

This area is horribly crowded, I decided the Aloe rupestris was the guy to  be transferred to a different department. 

Transfer complete, to the front by the meteor.  This had a stunner of a bloom this year, hopefully it adjusts to it's new spot quickly. 

Agave ovatifolia can breath and be seen.  *sorry for the mid day photos, harsh. 

In breaking bloom news, Clivia caulescens. I like it so much, I'll grab another if I see one.

Merwillea plumbea - A nice gift from David. 

Sprekelia formosissima I think there are a few bulbs there, this is the first to bloom. 

Arpophyllum giganteum, so carefree and the blooms last a looooong time. 

The dahlia debacle.  During the overhaul of the front garden, I dug up everything as you know.  Most of the dahlia tubers I came across got thrown into an empty raised bed in the backyard.  They responded with the vigor of Jack's beanstalk!  A week ago, I was strutting about bragging internally about the amount of dahlia buds and blooms I had.  OH I WAS POMPOUS!  Well, 24 hours of a strong windstorm knocked every last plant flat to the ground.  So the few I could save got plunked into a vase, the vase of humility. 

The rest were chopped down to their knees, or even below that in some cases.  I thought I was on to something, but I should've been clipping them back for stronger stems.  

Any other May birthdays?