Monthly Archives: February 2011

Riding Bikes

Posted by Lesley on February 28, 2011 4 comments

Where the Legacy trail ends in Venice, the Venetian Waterway Park trail picks up.  The meandering five-mile recreational trail runs along the Intracoastal Waterway, through woods and neighborhoods.  One section even offers a brief history of the city.  There’s a timeline painted along the cement path and a circus mural on a nearby building.

 

Saturday, John and I rode our bikes the length of the trail and then continued on to Caspersen Beach. 

The trail was quiet.  It was easy for my mind to wander, and it kept rewinding to a recent conversation with my sister.  We were standing in her garage, and I noticed my niece and nephew’s bikes up against the wall.  Dylan, who you know from De Soto National Park, is four and catching on to bicycling pretty easily.  Ella, who you know from the Buddy Walk, is ten and still struggling with it.  Beyond their ages and genders, the difference is that Ella has Down syndrome and Dylan does not.  Ella will ride a bike one day; it just won’t be tomorrow.  You know that old saying, “It’s as easy as riding a bike,”  well it isn’t for individuals with Down syndrome.  As my sister explained, there is actually a lot of thought that goes into riding a bike.  

I, as an individual without any sort of intellectual impairment, had been taking for granted the ease of it.  When broken down, there are quite a few steps.  You have to use your legs to pedal, your arms to steer; your core to balance, and your eye and ears to stay alert.  Ella has to think about all that; it’s a lot to learn.  So as I rode my bike, I thought of Ella – about her struggles and about her triumphs and about the day when we’ll ride this trail together and then…I flew over the handlebars! 

Can you believe that s@#%?  No joke.  I was messing with my camera, lost complete control of my front tire on the sandy road, and did the worst thing you can do in the midst of all that fumbling – I hit the front brake.  I launched from my seat and somehow managed to land on my feet with the bike behind me.  John was in disbelief; he said I stuck the landing like a superhero.  He was baffled that he didn’t have to pick gravel out my skin that night, but he didn’t.  He did, however, have to bring me multiple ice packs over the next day and a half.  So landing or not, and even though I spent my entire childhood idolizing her and an entire summer dressed like her, I have faced the sad fact that I am indeed not Wonder Woman.  She would never bruise this bad.     

But as for Ella, she just might be.  Her persistence, strength and self-confidence never cease to amaze me. 

For more information on Down syndrome, please visit Manasota BUDS.

De Soto National Park

Posted by Lesley on February 25, 2011 3 comments

Lukey had a playmate today - my nephew, Dylan.  And I use the term playmate loosely.  That’s my word not Luke’s.  He’s currently unwinding with a rawhide.

We spent the morning at De Soto National Memorial, a waterfront park in Bradenton where the Manatee River meets Tampa Bay.  A serene site recounting a violent history between exploring Spaniards and Native Americans, creepy cutouts like the one above are everywhere.  And the signs that accompany the cutouts are no less creepy. Since we stopped for the picture, I read half of one to Dylan before realizing I was about to tell a 4-year-old how the doggie in the picture was about to maul and eat an Indian.  But this is the cutout that will stay with me…

It made me jump a little.  The cutouts may not be my thing, but the park by itself is.  Shaded trails open up to bay views and a quiet little beach.  The boardwalk cuts through the mangroves, and Spanish Moss drapes the trees.  Although we didn’t partake, the park also offers reenactments of Florida history spanning five centuries.  And it’s all free!  There are no admission or parking fees.  

   

And Lukey had some fun too… 

Planting Personality in Your Garden

Posted by Lesley on February 24, 2011 3 comments

Have you ever thought about what your garden is saying about you?  Because gardening is much more than mere maintenance.  It’s a form of creative expression.  As dogs are said to look like their owners; the same can be said for gardens.  Some are meticulously mulched; others are overgrown.  There are rock gardens and butterfly gardens, exotics requiring high maintenance and xeriscapes requiring no maintenance.  Some hold statues, and some invite birds.  Look around your neighborhood for trinkets, treasures, jokes, and personality traits; they’re hidden in the gardens.  My garden is telling the world I’m a lovable, inventive, drinker? No, recycler.

I disassembled an old 1970′s lamp and turned it into an inexpensive garden globe.  It’s sitting in a bed of sweet potato vine now, but at one point I had the sweet potato vine planted in it.  It trailed quickly and ended up covering too much of the globe.

And of course, there’s my garden border…

Now let me introduce you to some of my neighbors.  This one has a good sense of humor.

Aww, that last one is too cute.  My guess from that garden is that there’s a lot of love in that house.  But I have to end with the more familiar and completely classic Florida garden stamp – the pink flamingo.

What’s in your garden?  And what does it say about you?

Gardening to Attract Butterflies

Posted by Lesley on February 22, 2011 6 comments

A recent request on Facebook has had me happily researching butterfly plants.  But with over 15,000 different species of butterflies and even more larval and nectar plants, my own garden is a good way to pare down the subject.  My garden is in Southwest Florida, more specifically, Sarasota.  And there are four categories of butterflies that can be spotted regularly around here - Monarchs, Swallowtails, Sulphurs, and Fritillaries.     

A Monarch hiding in some Milkweed

The easiest and fastest way to get started is with Milkweed.  Buy as little as one small plant and wait for the Monarchs.  Milkweed is the only larval plant Monarchs will lay their eggs on.  Larval plants are also called host plants because after adult butterflies lay their eggs on the leaves, the hatched caterpillars feed on them.  In addition to being a larval plant, Milkweed is also a nectar plant.  A successful butterfly garden needs a combination of both.  The nectar plants are far less specific – many brightly colored, aptly shaped flowers fit the bill.  I’ve watched Monarchs sip nectar from Purple Coneflowers, Sunflowers, Pentas, and Zinnias.

A Spicebush Swallowtail with its probiscus sunk into a Mexican sunflower

Swallowtails have a broader palette than Monarchs; the herbs are what draw these beauties to my garden - parsley, dill and fennel are favorite larval plants.  The herbs are known hosts; my nectar recommendation is only a personal observation – plant Mexican sunflowers.  I’ve yet to find another flower that attracts more Swallowtails.

A Gulf Fritillary perched on a Mexican Sunflower

Mexican sunflowers also attract Gulf Fritillaries, along with Pentas, Button Sage, Lantana, and Spanish Needle.  Most vines in the Passionflower family can serve as hosts but avoid Red Passion-flower and Purple Granadilla.  Larvae don’t fare as well on these varieties. Instead try Corky-stemmed, Maypop or Yellow.  

An Orange-barred Sulphur feeding on the Cassia tree

Sulphurs are last on my list and by far the most elusive.  It wasn’t until my Cassia tree went in that we started seeing regulars.  Up to that point, the orange and yellow butterflies flew through the yard but never stopped for nectar.  Now, it’s as if they’re permanent ornaments that came with the tree.  Cassias, along with members of the bean family, host Sulphurs.  As for nectar, Pentas and Tropical Sage are good choices.  The latter is a cinch to grow - the plants don’t mind sandy soil, and it’s an aggressive self-sower.   

Tropical Sage

Some other nectar plants I’ve had good luck with are Tickseed, Blanketflower, Black-eyed Susan, Porterweed, and any variety of Sunflower. 

Tickseed

Purple Coneflowers

Celebrating Springtime with Some Me-time

Posted by Lesley on February 21, 2011 None comments

Last week was extremely busy.  Between work, a sick dog and a visiting sister-in-law, there was no time for blogging or gardening.  But today was my day.  Lukey is starting to feel better and the absolutely gorgeous weather lasted into a new week.  It looks like winter is past us here in Florida.  I felt giddy wielding my clippers!  The mums, butterfly garden, roses and succulents all got clipped, snipped and plucked.

While cleaning up the Mother-of-Millions garden, formally known as the rock garden, I uncovered one tiny orange Kalanchoe blossfeldiana survivor peeking through the millions.      

After putting the clippers down, I planted sweet basil and climbing nasturtiums, prepped most of our meals for the week, and spruced up a couple of containers.  Oh, the things we could accomplish each week with just one extra day…     

In an effort to combine beauty with duty, I planted these two 95-cent Verbena plants from Walmart with a couple of Jalapeno seeds.  My other pretty and edible combo is Gazania and carrot seeds.  

Here’s my super-easy menu for the week if you’re looking for ideas.  The dishes are easy because every one can be prepared in advance when you actually have the time and energy.  And they taste good because most of the oven cooking is done day-of.  The meals, even if prepared three days in advance, are served steamy and fresh. 

Have a good week, and get ready to garden next weekend!  I’ll be posting an entry on butterfly gardening tomorrow…another thing I had time to work on today.  One thing I couldn’t do today was to say Happy Birthday to my mom.  I tried to call, but she’s busy swooshing down the slopes this week.  So when you read this, Mom, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  I LOVE YOU!  And you can expect a big box of grapefruit Florida love when you get back.

A Sweet Potato Valentine

Posted by Lesley on February 14, 2011 2 comments

Since it’s Valentine’s Day, I went searching for hearts in my garden.  The only one I could think of without looking was the Bleeding Heart vine, but that’s too obvious and despite having heart in its name not that appropriate for Valentine’s Day.  The connotation is more antagonistic than loving.  So I moved past the Bleeding Heart, checking every leaf, petal and stem in the garden and nothing.  On my way back inside, completely resigned to go with the off-message but vaguely related Bleeding Heart, the tip of my toe brushed the planter nearest to the door – my sweet potato seedling!  There are only two leaves and two teeny sprouts on the whole thing, but the leaves…

…are perfect hearts!  Happy Valentine’s Day!

Bleeding Heart Vine

Biking Legacy Trail in Venice

Posted by Lesley on February 13, 2011 2 comments

John and I took our bikes down to Venice and hit the Legacy Trail today.  While much of the 10-mile trail looks like this… 

…the Southernmost section in Venice meanders past parks, through neighborhoods and over two bays – Dona and Robertson. The trail is under construction at U.S. 41 right now, but a new overpass is expected to be finished by this summer.  We turned around at that point but could have taken a detour to continue on.  Legacy trail picks back up on the other side of 41 and connects with the Venetian Waterway Park trail.  The VWP is another fabulously uninterupted recreation trail; it runs along side the Intracoastal waterway for five miles.  On a warmer day, we’re going to take it to Caspersen Beach. 

There are seven trailheads for Legacy - Potter Park, Bay Street, Oscar Scherer, Laurel Park, Nokomis Park, Patriots Park, and the Venice Train Depot.  We planned to park at Oscar Scherer State Park but used the trailhead at Laurel Park instead because we didn’t want to be subject to state park hours.  The ranger told us that once the gates lock, you can’t get back to your car.  With our luck, we’d be camping tonight.  It was fun to see what was growing in the community garden at Laurel park anyway.

Cool air combined with a warm sun is the best kind of day.  Accordingly, the trail was bustling.  We passed joggers, bikers, fishermen, dogs, old ladies, little kids, pelicans, and squirrels.  We were all out to play! 

 

My Obsession with Joseph’s Coat

Posted by Lesley on February 12, 2011 3 comments

I’ve been obsessed with my Joseph’s Coat roses all week.  Both plants are blooming – the original and its clone.  The clone is the only rooted rose to survive my mad gardener efforts.  This is its third bloom.

Unlike most roses that are grafted onto a stocky base, this one is a cutting grown straight in soil, so it’s a little scrawny.  I used a rooting hormone to get it started, and now it blooms once a year – one blossom.  The original has blooms to spare.  I paired two with red salvia yesterday for a quick hostess bouquet.   

After smelling, cutting, touching, and staring at the Joseph’s coat all week, my last obsession came to mind – soap-making!  The petals are soft and colorful with a beautiful scent – perfect.  I promptly plucked a handful and tossed them in my food processor. 

But they weren’t chopping.  As you can see in the photo, the petals were being scratched more than cut.  I popped four Vitamin E pills with a pin, squeezed the contents over the petals, and with a few quick pulses, had rose pesto.

I wanted to eat it, it looked so good in the processor.  Unfortunately, the color faded fast in the hot glycerin.

The lime rind in the coconut-lime soap tinted the glycerin a yellowish-green, so I assumed the rose petals would tint the soap pink or even a grayish-purple.  The latter was the disappointing result of mixing in the juice from a couple pomegranate seeds.  I’m hoping the dye from my Amaryllis will produce better results when they bloom in April.  Until then, the green will do.  The soap turned out nice.  I supplemented the fragrance with rose water; it’s a very light scent.  

These are my mold supplies – very economical but check for imprints.  One of my soap bars reads 997D4T with a recycle symbol.       

Lettuce Bouquet

Posted by Lesley on February 10, 2011 5 comments

The Bibb lettuce is so beautiful right now.  The layers are full; the leaves are crisp.  It made a hearty Caesar salad last night.  Not as crunchy as Romaine, I mixed in a grated carrot to add texture and some rotisserie chicken to add protein.  It had it all; it was fast, easy, healthy, and delicious.  But before I was eating the lettuce, I was admiring it.

Cover the roots with ribbon and voila – bridal bouquet!  I am engaged, and it would be fitting…you never know.  And it turns out I’m not that crazy after all.  A quick Google search on lettuce bridal bouquets returned a fantastic blog post from Des Moines Wedding Savvy called Unexpected Bridal Bouquets.  There are gorgeous bouquets made of not only lettuce but artichokes, apples, succulents, jewelry, and paper.  The paper bouquet has me inspired…my no-water arrangements may need an upgrade.

These were made with construction paper, color cards from the paint department at Home Depot, a glossy mailer from the Ringling Museum, and buttons.  Skewers serve as stems, and Goop keeps them together.   

The flower was made with tiny red leaves and one silver button.  After both were set in the spoon, I poured a high gloss finish over the top just until the spoon was full.  No green thumb required!   

Buy Your Butterfly Plants from CHAC

Posted by Lesley on February 9, 2011 None comments

My story on Community Haven’s plant nursery ran in today’s Sarasota Herald-Tribune.  It’s actually Community Haven for Adults and Children with Disabilities (CHAC), and the story ran today because I said and tweeted it would run Saturday.  So it goes…every time.  If no one asks the dreaded question, When will it run?, then the story will run the following day.  But if the question is asked, and even worse, if the question is answered, then I can count on a week’s worth of Groundhog Day mornings, which consist of me running to the driveway in my pink bathrobe before brushing my teeth or hair not to find my article in print.  Even with Lucille Ball across the street, it’s not nearly as funny as Bill Murray being binged by the annoying insurance agent Ned Ryerson every morning.  But back to real life as I know it, the old lady across the street looks exactly like an off-her-rocker Lucille Ball.  She’s Lucy meets Kramer, and even though and possibly because she won’t so much as wave to me, she is my all-time favorite neighbor ever.

Anyway, it really doesn’t matter to me when an article is printed as long as it’s printed.  But when I’ve said when it’s going to run, I check because the other person is checking.  Three or four days in and I start thinking, do they think I’m some crazy woman who has no connection to the paper and there is no article?  Who’s the crazy neighbor now?  Lucille Ball or me? 

Besides when, I also have no control over what prints.  This time around, my favorite butterfly tidbit got cut from the final article.  As the workers were about to move a load of parsley, about 75 swallowtail caterpillars were spotted under the leaves.  Around 80% metamorphosized into butterflies.  The experience was turned into an impromptu and ongoing lesson for the Selby preschoolers on the life cycle of butterflies. 

The nursery specializes in butterfly plants and Florida native plants.  This is a table full of newly propagated milkweed…just think of all the Monarchs and lessons!

The article turned out great regardless of timing or edits because CHAC really has something with their plant nursery – the potential for a profitable business that drives a social cause.  It’s smart and it comes from a good place - to provide work and resources to people with disabilities.  And here’s a general observation that I can’t make in a newspaper article: it felt like a happy place to be and work, disabled or not.  Shop there, take a tour, hire the crew for landscaping, donate something, anything, just support their cause.  They are providing programs, food, housing, support, and jobs to our community.  And the more support we give, the quicker they’ll become another reliable, healthy, local food source.  They’re already talking about starting a buyers club.   

The nursery is located at 4405 DeSoto Road; the number is 941-302-1828.