A June Monday morning

Good morning everyone ~ I hope you all had a nice weekend, and if you didn't, I hope it wasn't more than you could bear, and may today be better than yesterday.

Last night we had some awful THUNDER. It was weird too and came in spurts. Not our usual thunder. Thankfully it didn't last long.

The heat has been absolutely horrible here. Yesterday morning though, wasn't as bad as it had been, so I worked on trimming the driveway overhang from neighbor property, and mowed. That was it, I couldn't do anymore. Today's temp is supposed to reach 90 but with the humidity feel like it's 107. I DREAD it. The heat and humidity really bother us the older we get. I don't see how people can say they love the heat, they must be totally crazy. It makes us feel ill. We plan on going out early to run a few errands, and get back home before it gets really bad out. Oh yea, the a.c. in my little Mazda wagon isn't working right either. :-(

Click on pictures for larger views.

These next few pictures are of my pencil orchids, Vanda teres, Miss Joaquim, not sure which name as it looks like it could be a couple of different ones. These are blooming all over the place. I am moving more into our screened room as it will give it a more tropical feel and more color. Some that are in there are already blooming. This is such an easy orchid for me.
Info can be found at Tropical Exotica.











Here we have a spunky squirrel,
waiting to play with another friend, or maybe mate.


The morning sunlight back lighting this shell caught my eye.


Freshly mown driveway and one of my pink crepes in bloom.
The rains we had last night have made the branches hang down.


Here are two more pictures taken just before dark the other night. The blooms are already fading and falling from these magnificent trees all over the county. Pretty soon the trees will be just green, shady canopies.





That's it for this morning.
Try to keep cool,
and try not to do
too much work outdoors if you can help it.

*******************

"It is the month of June,
The month of leaves and roses,
When pleasant sights salute the eyes
And pleasant scents the noses."
Nathaniel Parker Willis, The Month of June

Zone 10 ~ s.e. FL

Sunset, Royal Tropicana, Oatmeal Cake

Good morning everyone. Hope you all have a great weekend. It's hard to believe it's Friday already.

We've had some thunderstorms the past two afternoons giving us some much needed rain, and lowering the humidity a tad. Yesterday morning DH and I were both outside moving a few things, and our clothes became wet in no time from the heavy humidity. It was awful.

This morning I've got a loaf of Italian herb bread going in the bread machine, it smells good already. I'll be heading off to work later, and I'll see how it is there, as this is our off season, and we have road construction going on there, plus a down economy.

These clouds sure got my attention. It was after a thunderstorm and the sun was setting. Just beautiful.




Here is the Royal Poinciana with dark sky behind. I really love that contrast. This tree is only in bloom for a short while, so I am enjoying the show while it lasts.



Now here is a picture of a new recipe I tried yesterday afternoon, and oh my, this was absolutely scrumptious. I cut the cake in half to have a layered cake. The cake recipe was from here. I'm not sure where I found the frosting recipe.





OATMEAL CAKE WITH COCONUT FROSTING

1 1/2 c. boiling water
1 c. quick oatmeal
1 stick butter
2 eggs
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
1 1/3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt

CAKE: Pour boiling water over oatmeal and butter, cover for 20 minutes. Add sugars, eggs and beat. Sift dry ingredients and add. Pour into 13 x 9 inch baking dish (greased and floured). Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

GOLDEN COCONUT FROSTING

1/2 c. butter
1 1/3 c. coconut
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 c. milk
2 c. sifted confectioners' sugar

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in skillet. Add coconut and stir until golden brown. Remove about half the coconut; set aside.

Melt remaining butter in skillet with coconut. Add brown sugar. Cook and stir over low heat 2 minutes or until blended. Then add milk, bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Cool.

Gradually add confectioners' sugar until it's about the right consistency to spread, beating well after each addition. Spread on cake. Sprinkle with remaining coconut. Makes 2 cups frosting, or enough to cover tops and sides of two 8-inch layers, one 9-inch square, or 24 cupcakes.

P.S. I used some coconut milk I had left-over from when I made coconut bread the other day, in place of regular milk.

**********************

It is the sweet, simple things of life

which are the real ones after all.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Zone 10 ~ s.e. FL

Blooms in spite of heat and humidity

It is terrible here this morning. The humidity is so thick, you can almost cut it with a knife. We might need scuba gear if we hang out there too long, and we certainly don't need a sauna living down here.

After taking a few pictures I decided I was staying indoors today. I don't need to be feeling sick and there isn't anything pressing or urgent that needs doing outdoors. It is 83 and with the humidity at 75% it feels like it is 99. I am so thankful for air-conditioning.

The first few pictures will be of the Royal Poinciana tree - Delonix regia, that is two properties back from us. I love to see this bloom every year. In our area there are lots of these blooming all over and they are all beautiful.

You can find info about this tree that has been consistently voted among the top 5 most beautiful flowering trees in the world, here, here, and here.









This is looking at the tree from the end of our driveway, with abit of whimsy hanging on the fence. He is about 11' long, and was found curbside on the street east of us. I'm a pisces, and we live in FL where there's lots of fishing going on, so we brought him home. We didn't want to see him going out to the landfill. Then we could hardly find a place to hang him.




This is a hibiscus I've forgotten the name of again. I need to start a page for myself of pictures and names, because at this time in my life I'm not retaining the info for everything I read. If you know what I mean. :-)




Here is the purple flowering crepe myrtle in my main garden. It is another plant that has not bloomed in years, last year being the first time I remember it doing so. I love it. The blooms are huge like those of my Queen Crepe. The Queen's leaves are bigger though. I held the blooms in hand so that you can see how large they are.

That's it. Keep cool.
If you are working outside,
don't over do it.
Drink plenty of water, and take breaks.

Zone 10 ~ s.e. FL

Bridal Wreath Vine - Stephanotis floribunda

Finally, the long awaited open bloom of Bridal Wreath vine. Oh how I wish I could post the scent along with the pictures. No words to describe it, except delicately sweet.

You can read about this vine at mgonline and at hibiscus-sinensis.

I am going to try my hand at rooting some stem cuttings to see if I'll be able to get another plant or two of this vine going.

Here are my pictures taken yesterday and this morning. Click on pictures for a larger view.

A garden full of sweet odours is a garden full of charm,

a most precious kind of charm

not to be implanted by mere skill

in horticulture or power of purse,

and which is beyond explaining.

It is born of sensitive

and very personal preferences

yet its appeal is almost universal."

Louise Beebe Wilder

Zone 10 ~ s.e. FL