R E F L E C T I O N S

At first I thought the rabbits, birds or squirrels ate all the seeds. I think they did eat most of them but there are many that survived. There are more smaller sprouts on the other side of the patch. Here's a closer look at the two sprouts from the above photo. I'm sure there will be more but there is not enough room for them in a 4' x 4' plot.   I don't have the heart to pull up some of them to make more room for the others. I can transplant some into large flower pots and let nature take care of the rest. All of these plants came from an old rotting pumpkin. I buried all of its seeds just to see what would happen.

Or maybe it was actually like this? A Prehistoric Rhinoceros Most likely it could just be a regular rhino.  They are not overweight lumbering beasts.  Some can weigh up to 5,000 pounds and run over 30 miles per hour! This video shows a rhino galloping like a horse.  Its horn must been broken off. Galloping Rhino Chester Zoo Maybe an actual unicorn that looked more like a horse did exist.  I'd like to think so.

I never knew how cashews grew.  It's amazing!  They grow out of the bottom of a fruit. Here's some information: "National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day is observed each year on April 21st. The cashew is a tree from the family Anacardiaceae.   Its English name comes from Portuguese the fruit of the cashew tree  “caju.”   Originally native to Northeastern Brazil, cashew trees are now widely grown in tropical climates for its cashew fruit and nuts. Surprisingly, the shell of the cashew nut is toxic, which is why the cashew is shelled before it is sold to consumers.  The cashew nut is a very popular snack with a rich flavor.  They are a well-known favorite during the holidays, but can be enjoyed anytime throughout the year.  Enjoy the video:

Jan was a tremendous help by suggesting that my seedlings might be from some type of pine tree. (from my post  REFLECTIONS: Is This a Weed ? ) I searched the web and found photos that looked very close to mine. Here is a photo of my seedling: I now have two seedlings in the same ceramic pot. My wife Lynette suggested putting them in separate larger flexible plastic pots to make it easier to transplant when they grow larger. I'll let you know how it progresses.

I found this plant in one of my flowerpots last year.  It looked too good to discard so I left it in the pot.  It survived the winter and I want to see what it will grow into. I carefully dug it up and found this very long root.  It's more than twice the length of the plant! I found another identical plant while I was working.  It's root was much shorter. It's the plant to the left. I hope they live and maybe even grow into trees.  But they could only be weeds. Does anyone know what they might be?  I could not find it on Google.

This simple corkscrew is like the one my father used.  Surfing through the web I found some interesting ones, especially a very complicated machine for removing corks. This is the type of bottle opener I own.  It's only a little more complicated than the first one. This must be an antique model.  I have no idea how it works. Below is a video of the complicated bottle opener I was telling you about: I think the gun hammer is a bottle opener. Open it without a corkscrew. This is a sort of erotic model.   

The Dresden Dolls are an American musical duo from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2000, the group consists of Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione.   I've never heard of them but the video is interesting in a strange sort of way. "Palmer expounds on the many advantages an artificial partner has over real ones in a tick-tock rhythm reminiscent of  automata .  The song has broad overtones of loneliness and a desire for a relationship with idealized physical affection  but no personal sacrifice  or chance of getting emotionally hurt."  ~Wikipedia The video may seem "stuck" in the middle but it's part of the song.

The other day I cleaned out the drain at the bottom of the stairway leading to my basement.  I reused a tray from the garden store when I purchased plants a few years ago.  There's a collection of them and plastic flower pots in my garage that were never discarded. The water flowing down the steps wash the leaves into the drain.  But the tray prevents them from clogging it. Now I clean away the leaves and am left with a clear drain.  There's no rush to do this because the tray keeps the leaves away. I turn the tray upside down and place it over the drain.  It works, prevents puddles.

This cat feels the same way:

Right now I have a mustache.  Just about the same one I've had for most of my life except for the ends being a little longer.  I also trimmed the bottom so it will not cover part of my upper lip.  It stays cleaner after I eat. I grew a beard for a while but it just wasn't me.  When I shaved everything off I looked younger but again it was not me.  My daughter told me she knew me as always having a mustache and she was glad I grew it back. This is not my mustache! It must have taken several years to grow and hours each day to groom it.  I guess it was one of his life goals.  Seems like a waste of time to me. Here's my mustache.  I took the photo standing in front of my bathroom mirror. It's not too much work to keep up. My ideal goal for a mustache.  Maybe I'd make the ends slightly shorter.  He has my "salt and pepper" color. How do you feel about mustaches?

Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn Entrance It's a very multicultural area.   -Here is a Buddhist temple which looks nothing like a temple to me. -Lucky Star is the name of a bus ride from New York to Boston and back.  I hope it doesn't mean you'll be lucky if you make it. -Above in Chinese, the sign must be an ad for some sort of gambling place. -The buildings at different angles add to the confusion.  Pigeons fly over the building in the back. One of the uniquely decorated images in the city. Watch out! The young woman seems in danger of being eaten by the van.