Life is a Journey… Stop and smell the roses along the way.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve updated my blog…but I’m not gone … I’m just on a Journey. Life takes us all, through routes, paths and detours we sometimes do not plan for.. or expect.

 When I decided that I would move from Michigan to South Carolina last Oct… I expected some challenges along my new Journey…….

 But an ailing aunt ( now deceased ) and a demanding job... have rerouted my path, thus placing a temporary halt to my hobbies.


 However my biggest challenge (Moving from one state to another) is over. I’m discovering new roads, new paths, plants, nature and people. The culture of the south has certainly changed over the last 20 years. People from all over the country and the world are now calling the south their home.

I am happy to discover and enjoy the parks in my area, Burnet, Milliken, and Cleveland, but I’m particularly fond of a nearby park called Hatcher garden, it’s a wonderful treat for my soul after a long week of hard work.... For now I’m working on making my temporary home a place of respite and pleasure… 

 So here are a few updates….My sister planned a fantastic little birthday get away for her 4 year old daughter at the Peace Center in Downtown Greenville.  Psssst…. It was also a secret little get away for us too…The Lion King had come to Michigan  a zillion times.. but the opportunity to see it would escape us..  Now it was here in Greenville and we caught the next train smoking to get those tickets...

   But before the show..We decided to grab a bite to eat. “hmmm…where should we go?

There’s so much to choose from there’s restaurants all along downtown Main street.  The first restaurant we passed or noticed first... was the Nose Dive.

The Nose Dive  is a Pub style restaurant that serves special wines and handcrafted beer. One of their unique foods on the menu is a Hamburger with fried pickles and spicy ranch sauce….. Mmmmm, sounds like a fun place for a girls night out.  I’ll make a date to gather up my crew…

Unfortunately I didn’t get the name of this cute little restaurant… I was busy staring at the cute little tables and missed it.

  

 Right next door to the restaurant whose name I neglected to get, was a Mexican restaurant called Cantinflas.  It had an eye catching Mural and statues adorning the right and left wall as you enter the restaurant. I’ll be back to try that garden enchilada.

Were still walking up Main street trying to decide what to eat…..To the left are my sisters and my niece

  Asian food is one of many cuisines  that  I love ....

.At the Hibachi and Asian Kitchen you’ll get your traditional cuisine of beef, pork and chicken and  have the option of course, of dinning in or take out…..They serve sushi, hibachi and sake “Oh Yum! I’ll be back to try this one too.

    Just Next door to the Orient is another oriental styled restaurant called

Sushi Murasaki…What would you like?… the shrimp dumplings steamed or fried, crab and cream croquette or smoked salmon …. “Oh what is a girl to do! Every restaurant on Main Street sounds lip smacking tasty!

  "Oh- snap!...What’s that across the street. ...It’s a restaurant called 
     “Sticky Fingers” and sticky fingers can only mean one thing
  ( Bar-B-Q!)..our feet are moving a little faster now as we hurry across the street. 

Sticky fingers is a BBQ restaurant that serves hickory smoked ribs and barbecue but as you’ll see there are other options on the menu if you aren’t in the mood for Barbecue.  My little sis decided to order the seafood combo….

                   I’m too cute to get all sticky today, so I’ll try the seafood combo

                                                      
I on the other hand, am never to cute to eat anything sticky when it comes to eating anything barbequed.. that is why you won't get a picture of me eating it....

But I also like seafood so I ordered a seafood rib combo...  My rib came without sauce and it took a minute for me to fiquire out why? I discovered this was done on purpose so that I would have a choice of five or so sauces to try out...


Memphis oringinal, Carolina sweet, Tennesee whisky and a few others but the best in my opinion was the Harbanero.

Don't let the word " hot" fool you... the Harbanero sauce was actually quite mild..but just test a little before you take my word for it, my tolarance for heat may be different....

"

My other sister and her daughter the 4 year old birthday girl had chicken fingers with fried onion and a side of sweet potato casserole that comes topped with peacans..she  allowed me to teast a little and

“Oh- my sweet diggity dog…  Whose Mama can I slap!

The warm, sweet, buttery, cinnamony flavor  blended with the topped peacans was- down right delicious! Unfortunatley I didn’t get a picture of it.

By the way…. I must give a shot out to our waiter whose name was Bo… Hi.. Bo keep up the good work you made our first visit to Sticky Finkers  fun.

In the following pages follow us and the scenes as we head back to the Peace Center to catch the show the “ Lion King” ……


Below:  This Main street statue is setting at the Main and Washington street intersection and is dedicated to Greenville’s first all black high school.
                                                                     
                                                  

                                ( Sterling High school 1896-1970 )

Below: I found these two interesting, I took the photo from the other side of the street , I suppose that one of them is a mermaid I'll have to do some research on it. Il Porcellino (Italian "piglet") Legend has it that if you place a coin in it's mouth and it falls in the grate below it... you will have good luck.... you can also rub its nose for good luck... "Okay piggy I could use a Million bucks stat! The good luck boar was donated to Greenville by the friends of Florance; to learn more about the story behind this donation and the organization click here http://www.friendsofflorence.org/projects/youngfriendsofflorence      I love the birds, boat, the fly dude and his dog staring out at me at the Marry Praytor Gallery

 

                                  A fountain outside the Westin Hotel

Below: Me and the birthday girl have a chat with Mr. Poinsett.
Joel Roberts Poinsett was a Physician, an American statesmen and botanist. He  introduced that popular Christmas flower we call the Poinsettia in his honor. The Poinsettia is a specie of Mexico and Central America.


( 1779-1851 )

Above: outside dining at the Nose Dive

Further up we pass a tee-shirt shop called Delta Fun Tees..
 I'm never to old for Mickey. I'll be back for that tee-shirt.

 

We're getting closer to the Peace Center and are now passing the sights and sounds of the Reedy River. There's activity's and restaurants to enjoy on the Reedy river as well.  

We're there Yea! My sister's and birthday girl ahead of me.

I really love the colorful banners and the cast. But I was especially fond of the characters Mufasa and Simba. I don't have Papa Mufasa's banner but have his son's below: How does a Lioness express that a Lion dude looks hot in the cat world?

"Ooo Simba what you like?... Water Buffalo?...Zebra? You know us lady lions will catch what you need to keep them muscles strong...Roooaaaarrrrr!

Once we enter the theater we were told that no photo's would be allowed during the show...Darn It!

 We'll have to settle with what we got...So we took more of these.

The souvenir stands

I bought a Lion King mug you see pictured above and the tote bag below:

My kid sister, my niece and myself.

Thank you for stopping by Vetsy's View... please leave a comment.
Catch the Lion King when they visit your town..I promise they will not disappoint you'll want to see again and again!. There's lots of things to do in here in Greenville and the Upstate Carolina's for more info
 click here: http://www.upstatescusa.com/

Fertilizing with Worm Poo

I love house plants, but I'm not an expert on their care. It is always a challenge for me to buy a plant and keep it alive. ( it has also been a challenge for me to keep up with my blog due to my demanding job...But here I am..

I'm never far from what I love...Anywho....

I read up on every plant that I buy before and after I purchase it so that I may mother it with the  proper care. 

Some of this information however, still eludes me even though I follow them to what I think is to the -T-......"Water this plant just a little, leave this one dry,  feed this one every other month"...


 It gets really frustrating, but not enough to stop me... No way!.....

 I'll just throw the ailing plant out and  replace it with another. Besides, I have read that it is not always my fault that a plant will not flourish under my care, sometimes the fault falls on the nurseries... 

( A plant is only as good as the nursery you bought it from)... be it from  a nursery you bought it from  directly or from mass market stores like Walmart, Lowes and HomeDepot.....Some of them I read, are ill and infested with pest upon their arrival to the store.


So whether the fault lies with me or the nurseries, I have come up with a plan that I hope will turn me into a successful plant owner/ green-thumb. 

What's that plan you ask? .....It's to fertilize all my house plants with Worm-poop!.. .Aka Worm Castings ( the proper terminology in the natural fertilizer industry).


Worm Castings are literally POOP! It's the excrement gathered  from a pooping worm. It supplies the natural nutrients your plants need to keep them strong, healthy, and less likely to be attack by insects that prey on sick, weak plants.  To learn more on Worm poo and it's benefits click the links at the bottom of my post.


Below: I'm not sure if you can tell.... But my Umbrella was a little ill and the leaves on the lower part of it shriveled up and died. Three days after I gave it a tablespoon of Worm poo It appears to be a lot greener.


The before photo is on the top and the after is on the bottom.

Below:   My poor little princess... She is a Ponytail plant that I had for over 6 years. She was gorgeous before she was damaged during my move to South Carolina. I can't wait to see what Worm poo will do for her.

Below: I have a thing for Ponytail plants... I bought this cutie last year from Walmart and hope with the help of Worm poo my princes ( above)  will look like this one.. once again. 

BTW!( This plant was priced wrong "too low" I thought it was a special, but this Mean Lady wouldn't honor the price, so I took it up with the manager and proudly took her home..at a special price).

Below:  My Rex Begonia is also included in the poo study..In the top photo it's limp and weak looking....

Below: Three days later it appears stronger and greener..

 Below: A Dumb Cane cutting from my neighbor back in Michigan...I call her Betty after this neighbor..." Boy can she stand a shot of Worm poo... Stat!

 Below: This is what house gnats did to my Tea rose......

 This is it after I moved it outdoors.....(No worm poo was applied at this time, just moving it out of doors helped it thrive).

And Still..... some evil little bugger got a hold of it and done this..... I will be saturating this with a Worm Poo Tea...

Below: An ill Sago Palm that I purchased from Lowes....I discovered after I purchased it... that it has scale... I have Pooed it too...

Below:  House plants bathing in the sun outdoors as they each await a tablespoon of Worm castings for lunch. "open wide! the Poop doctor is in."

Below: New additions:

This lovely Yellow plant is called Sweet Broom, it smells just like my Winter honeysuckle. They both share a yummy citrus scent... The cashier at the Homedepot warned me that Sweet Broom can quickly become an enormous bush!.... I had intended to buy two of them but, put one back after her warning Lol!...


Below:  Winter honeysuckle... Blooms in late winter and is cold and drought tolerant.

I was also warned about the Lady Banks rose from a friendly cashier at Lowe's..... It's a pretty little Pom..Pom like  yellow rose with double blooms... for some reason I was not able to remove the glare to get a clearer photo... The cashier explained that her sister-in-law purchased one years ago and now its tall and prolific.... she was smiling when she said it.... I took that as a good sign...Lol!

All of my plants will be feed Worm Castings every three months... Worm casting to my surprise doesn't break down right away.... and just like commercial/chemical fertilizers Worm poo will continue to feed your plants for up to this time.... It is odorless and all natural. So if you can't stand the smell of fish fertilizer try this one...

Note: I have discovered that some companies sale Worm castings along with a mixture of compost.. some say that it is best to purchase pure Worm castings without the added compost for best results... 

( I so happen to have castings from one such company )  but so far my plants look great.....We'll see how things go as I continue my study stay tuned..


        "A SPOON FULL OF POOOO, HELPS YOUR PLANTS STAY BEAUTIFUUUUL!"


Here's a few useful Links to help you learn more...But don't stop here there's plenty more info to Google and learn more about on Worm Castings and it's benefits... Google away!

 http://www.organic-raised-bed-gardening.com/2010/12/04/worm-tea/

http://www.getbusygardening.com/2012/02/worm-casting-tea.html

  

http://mypeoplepc.com/members/arbra/trinity/id14.html

   

http://www.harrisseeds.com/storefront/c-122-pg-worm-power-organic-fertilizer.aspx

Happy New Year

                       See you next year!

The Nicest Present

I started to post a Christmas tree photo for the poem below, but I was so pleased that my Christmas Cactus actually blossom this year I posted it instead, isn't it pretty.

 

The Nicest Present

Under the tree the gifts enthrall,
But the nicest present of them all
Is filling our thoughts with those who care,
Wanting our Christmas joy to share.

To you, whom we're often thinking of,
We send our holiday joy and love.

By Joanna and Karl Fuchs

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year my blogging friends! There's more I'd like to share with you below:

 

Bees in December?

 I had a little time off from work and used that time to visit the lovely garden walk at Hatcher Garden which is just a few blocks away from my temporary  home.

Bumble and Honey bees were every where and even though I was excited and surprised to see them.... the sight of them really  confused my cognitive senses......... I stood in front of this yellow shrub for several minutes talking to myself and asking myself questions like.....this is December.... right?

I'd love to learn what this shrub is called, thanks for sharing if you know... It doesn't have a scent to it and reminds me of Snap-dragons. 

( unfortunately Hatcher Garden is lacking on name posting ).

 Can you see the Honeybee?

 All The beauties below are winter flowers and look like roses, there are no scent to these either, I'm clueless, .... Do share if you know...

I end this post with winter berries and hope to learn the names of most, if not all the plants I've posted. I have a lot to learn about the plants of the south as I adjust to my new home, thank you for visiting.

Rewarding Things

This is a post card sent to me from my niece, and it's absolutely one of my favorite things to do when I'm not gardening, shopping or busy with life and I'm sure at times... it's your favorite thing too.

Thanks Jessica, I love it... you know your auntie well...LoL!


credits...    http://www.scholastic.com/titles/deardumbdiary/ecards/ecard2.htm

Happy Thanksgiving

                         
                                  Happy Thanksgiving my Blogger Friends!


I found this cartoon Hilarious! and would like to give the proper credit to the cartoonist but have no idea who he/she is. I was searching the net for a pretty Thanksgiving card to post here and found this one by accident. Since I am one that enjoys a good laugh I decided to keep this one instead.

Thank you for stopping by.... enjoy your Holiday.