Alternanthera 'Party Time' Pleases People

I could not say no to this striking and exotic tropical plant that called out to me by my first name as I browsed in a nursery. It was all alone (perhaps due to its price tag) and it double-wowed me with its multicolored leaves that almost seem unreal. I had seen and read about this new release in catalogs and had added it to my "gotta have" list earlier this year. Alas, I am a hopeless plantaholic....I want 'em ALL, and I want 'em NOW....especially when it comes to variegated plants.

BOO...don't let the goblins grab you this Halloween!

This is the perfect Jack O'Lantern for those of us who are dismayed and disappointed by this tiresome political campaign season, the economic meltdown, and the loss of the Tampa Bay Rays at the World Series. The expression carved into this pumpkin captures perfectly all of the emotions many of us have during these scary times. One of my favorite magazines is "The New Yorker" which has such excellent writers as well as its wonderful cover art (as seen in the picture above) and delightful cartoons. My subscription to it helps me to stay sane as it keeps my sense of humor alive and healthy and my mind sharp. It has been said, and I believe it, that laughter is the best medicine of all. My prolonged ordeal of recovering from eye surgery has been NO fun and games, but I do try to laugh...both out loud and mentally... whenever I can and I do feel better afterwards.

Left Eye Problem And Going Off On Medical Leave

FYI, tomorrow I will have complicated surgery on my left eye involving a triple procedure: a corneal transplant, cataract removal, and a lens implant...all to be done in one fell swoop. Needless to say I will have to be offline for some time to allow my eye to recover. I have great confidence in my surgeon, one of the best in Mississippi, so I will be in good hands. God Willing, I will see y'all later and be back online later this month. BTW, this is a public domain Net picture and not one of my own eye.

We Dodged Hurricane Gustav's Bullets On 9-1-08

It is a blessing for us that Hurricane Gustav's path from south Louisiana inland to the northwest has allowed us to dodge his bullets of destruction. Here in central Mississippi we have received only light winds and light rains, and we are glad this hurricane is to the south and headed to the west of us. We pray that our friends, relatives, and neighbors in Louisiana will be safe and sound. What really ticked me off was while preparing for the worst scenario of this hurricane's arrival I discovered that our portable generator has been stolen from the storage shed! This is the first time ever to have anything STOLEN from this house and yard in all the years of living here. I despise theft and I do hope the jerk who stole our generator gets electrocuted if he tries to use it.(Just joking!) Thank goodness we did not lose our electricity thus not actually having a need to use the generator.

Variegated 'Glacier' Ivy Gettng A Bath On Labor Day

With your left mouse button double-click your cursor on this photo to see the details of this favorite variegated 'Glacier' ivy. Most of my photos are in very high resolution and are best viewed if you double-click to enlarge them fully.

Hurricane Gustav's Rain On My Begonias and Peppers

Hurricane Gustav is a gentle giant here in central Mississippi, and I thank him for bringing us only light winds and light rains.

Hurricane Gustav's Rain Bathing My Plants On Labor Day

Thank the Good Lord we were spared damaging winds from Hurricane Gustav as he came ashore this morning about 250 miles south of here near New Oleans. Here in central Mississippi we are receiving only light rains and light winds and my plants are enjoying a bath.

Hurricane Gustav

It is after midnight and I have been glued for hours to the Weather Channel and CNN and local stations tracking Hurricane Gustav in the Gulf of Mexico as it takes aim at the New Orleans area and our Mississippi Gulf Coast. Just 3 years ago Friday we were hit by Hurricane Katrina which killed over 1,600 and left misery and devastation in Mississippi and Louisiana from which our region has still not fully recovered. I shudder to think of the horrors tomorrow will bring as Gustav comes ashore. Please keep our area and people in your thoughts and prayers.