Some time with our Granddaughter

Our granddaughter lives quite a way from us, so it was nice to have her with us for a couple of weeks. Today she left and she'll certainly be missed. The first picture is her and her dad; the second is of her with Grandma, Grandpa (me) and - of course - Ladybug.

Osita & Ladybug in the snow

Ever since Osita was a puppy she's considered Ladybug to be her closest buddy. Tonight was no exception. Snow and ice, no matter, gotta go over and rub noses (or in Osita's case, lick noses). We had 3.25 inches (8.25 cm.) of snow and it's about 21F (-6.11C).
But, this is Oregon. Back to springtime next week, with warmer temperatures and rain.

Ladybug and Blu

We recently had a visit by a Belgian Tervuren puppy and so, of course, we had to introduce him to Ladybug - an essential part of any puppy's training...right? All went well.

"Good Morning" Horsey kiss!

Just a little break from constant plants... This is "Ladybug" and this is the image I get every morning when I go out to feed her. Our dog, Osita, gets the same image as the two of them just have to exchange kisses every morning!

Ladybug snoozing

Spring is definitely here! The birds wake us up in the morning, the trees are budding out, we no longer have to heat the greenhouses...and Ladybug is caught snoozing in the relative warmth of a recent afternoon. And she's starting to shed all that winter coat so that - pretty soon - she'll look like a skinny mini!

Echeveria 'Christmas'

These are from leaf cuttings taken three years ago. They're not ready to sell yet but are certainly ready to show off.

Today turned out to be a pretty nice day. I wasn't feeling the best earlier on but felt better as the day went along. And today was Portland Parkways in north Portland,  a time when a network of streets is closed to all motorized traffic and thousands of people, walking, biking, skating, etc. take to the streets. Our street was part of the network today and, other than a few bikers who felt a need to blast noise from their radios, it was beautifully quiet and pleasant. Of course, when we took Ladybug out for a bit, that drew a small crowd.

Out and About with Ladybug

The weather was nice on Sunday and so we all took Ladybug out for a drive. Osita is the one tagging along after the cart. Our granddaughter was with us so she got to try her hand at driving as we headed out down Willamette Blvd in North Portland, near the University of Portland. I'm the one with the camera.

Enjoy your plants!

Merry Christmas!

Best wishes to all of you out there. I appreciate your checking out my blog once and a while. Thanks.

and

Enjoy your plants!

Late Summer Greetings from Ladybug

Time for a little break from all the plants. In case you aren't aware, Ladybug is one of our mascots here at Kara Nursery, and she knows how important she is. It was clear that Ladybug has been feeling a little left out recently  and Lynn-Marie caught some of her "attitude" on camera. There are days that are like that.

The Tale of the Attack Cat

When we were driving Ladybug to the post office to deliver a succulent plant package an incident occurred which I just have to share. We had our two dogs with us, a friend from Phoenix, Lynn-Marie & I. We were about two-thirds of the way, driving along the sidewalk when we passed a property with a cat. Happens all the time; no event here. Except that this time the cat attacked us. I mean really attacked! It came at us, especially at the dogs, full force.

I always carry a long walking stick with me just for such occasions, only it's usually an attacking dog. I swung the stick, but to no avail. It was in full attack mode and it kept on coming.

Immediately we were greeted with the sounds and lights of a police car coming up behind us on the street. Now I don't know about you, but in such a circumstance my mind immediately thinks "Now what did I do???" But the officer rolled down his car window and asked "Did that help?" And sure enough, the cat was gone, and Ladybug and the dogs - to say nothing of ourselves - were no worse off for the noise. And after thanking the fine officer of the Portland Police, we went on our way. Rescued again!

Delivering Express Mail

Image via Wikipedia

On Friday we had an order of plants which needed to be delivered to a Midwestern American city by Express Mail. It had to be at the post office by 2:00 to get there by 3 pm the next day. So...we delivered it to the post office by our own special "miniature horse express"! (Compare to the real thing, only in England a few years ago and not so miniature!)

That's Ladybug, Lynn-Marie and - behind the cart - Kiani.

Ladybug Update

A couple of people have asked for an update on Ladybug, our mini horse. As most of you know, she's one of the "helpers" at the nursery, but she had a rough last year. A little over a year ago she foundered, with laminitis that made it difficult for her to walk. However with the help of a good vet and an excellent farrier she is totally recovered and is back to her old self. She continues on a low carbohydrate diet, but now regularly pulls a cart and goes for walks to the local park and to the University of Portland campus.

These photos were taken by Lynn-Marie a couple of days ago.
Back to succulent plants tomorrow.

Sorry for the Absence

I will blog some photos tomorrow! I promise. I've been totally tied up trying to get the upgrade for our nursery website completed that I just haven't been getting to the blog.

However we did get out for a drive with Ladybug the mini horse. The weather was just too nice not to get out and enjoy it. Not a long ride...just three miles around the neighborhood. The daffodils and iris are coming up, the "Snowdrops" are blooming, the raspberry vines are beginning their new shoots, and buds are popping up all over in the greenhouse. Yes, yes, yes! Spring can't be far away!

Ladybug the Infamous Mini Horse

Some of you have met Ladybug. Some of you know her by reputation. Some only by the picture at the top of the blog. Our other horse, Jardinera, hasn't quite gotten the picture that in Oregon - unlike Florida where she came from - you need to grow a winter coat. Ladybug, on the other hand, must have the Winter coat genes in spades. By the time our recent cold arrived, it would appear that she had almost doubled in size. But it's all hair. This is her two days ago from the window in our den. I wish I could take the cold as well as she does!

It may be cold out, but she still gets her morning "kiss" from Osita and a hug from me no matter how cold it gets. So here's to Ladybug. Cheers! (Oh, and the photo is by Lynn-Marie.)

Ladybug and Osita

To end the day with a little humor, this is Osita, our now grown up Belgian Tervuren on the back of Ladybug, our miniature horse out at a neighborhood coffee shop. She's grown up now and doesn't quite fit on Ladybug's back, but they're still the closest of friends.

Ladybug

We've been getting Ladybug out for more drives and today it was a beautiful Fall day. This picture is on the sidewalk in front of our house as we were coming home. We drove her over to the Madrone Cafe, a little less than two miles from us.It's a little coffee house owned by a French woman from Paris.

Afterward, it was back up the ladder to continue putting up gutters (two floors up). I'm tired. Maybe more tomorrow.

A herd of Haworthia truncata

With this image I'll end my series on Haworthias. These are, of course, H. truncatas - specifically Haworthia truncata from GM313 seed.

I think I'll head on over to the Lithops next, or just something which catches my fancy. We'll see.

Took Ladybug for a walk on the University of Portland campus today - if that's what you want to call it. It's hard to walk when you're constantly being asked for a picture or if it's OK to pet her. I guess we're becoming sort of the unofficial mascot for some of the students...

Ladybug - University of Portland Fan

We live just three city blocks from the University of Portland (a private university on a bluff overlooking the Willamette River) and the Fall classes just began this past week. U of P is a big soccer (football to the rest of you) school, national contenders every year, but all Ladybug has to wear to celebrate the new school year is a baseball cap.

Oh well, you can't have everything! And they don't have soccer shirts that fit Ladybug.

If you weren't aware, Ladybug is our miniature horse who lives with us in town, along with our two Tervuren dogs, a calico cat and a sometimes overwhelming mass of cacti and succulents.

Unfortunately, we haven't been able to teach Ladybug to transplant succulent plants, but she's a part of the family, so we keep her anyway!

Speaking of plants, how about this lovely...Haworthia truncata var. maughenii:

This is a close-up of a seedling, but I love these little plants.