Plant Propagation Basics November continued

Like everybody else Patti, a lot of reasons not to take it. There are too many cats because people don't spay or neuter. You know that as much as I do. If you go into a Humane Society, or Animal Control of any kind, no matter what they call them, you will see about 4 cats for every dog. So sad. Fortunately for the cats, some of the places are "no kill" like the one we go to. I came home with 2 full grown cats. Tabbies. Now here is a puzzle for you. We got these two cats that look so much alike they could be from the same litter. We've had them over 4 years now. One is so loving she even tries to snuggle up with Candy the dog. The other loves Bob to pet her and pull her tail. Yes, pull her tail. She loves that. BUT, she will not let him pick her up nor will she sit on his lap. If you pet her it has to be four on the floor. Yep, her feet have to be on the floor. Isn't amazing? She will put her front feet on the top of Bob's chair arm and beg for treats, but that is as close to him as she wants to be. She doesn't come near me at all.

Cats have really long memories and I think what happened was right after we got them, in the middle of the night, both cats jumped up on my bed and startled me awake and I sat up fast and yelled at them. They both jumped down and got out of there. Maybe that was it. I don't remember if she sat on our laps before that or not. But, it used to be that when people would come over she would hide somewhere and not come out until after they left. When my daughter's family came for vacation they would be here a couple weeks and nobody ever saw her all the time they were here. My SIL who worked night shifts would be up real late after we all went to bed, and she would sneak out to eat and drink and use the litter box. She is starting to get over that. Now she will come out when people are here, depending on who it is, but she sticks real close to Bob. We named her Spooky for a good reason.

Sorry for the length of this post, but maybe you have the answer to this puzzle. Jen

Patti, we are having an ice storm here in KCMO - how about you?

Kay, it has been sleeting off and on all day. However, it is not nearly as bad as they said it was going to be. Of course that may change. At the moment, it's very breezy but nothing is falling from the sky and traffic looks like it's moving normally in the street. They did brine the streets however.

Jen, I call my two darling demons for a reason. LOL

Mine were nabbed by a rescue representative, as they were the next to be put down at our Humane Society. They were barely two weeks old when I met them and she had had them for over a week. From the time she got them they were raised exactly the same. Yet, Mynx is curious about everything and afraid of nothing, That is the diluted calico. Tess sounds much like your Spooky. If people are around, she disappears. You could've knocked me over with a feather when a computer repair man came to the house, a personal friend of mine, and she not only came out of hiding, but flopped down at his feet within five minutes after he sat down at the computer. That is the only time she has ever done that.

I seriously doubt if you yelling at them that one time caused the behavior. I could be wrong, but I have certainly raised my voice to a yell when one or the other was climbing to the top of the drapes or about to walk on the stove.

Mynx hates to be held and will not sit on anyone's lap unless it's her idea. Up until early last week, she would sit on my lap for maybe five minutes and then hop down. When I came down with a cold and was basically sleeping in my recliner because I didn't cough as much, I would wake up and find her sleeping on me. Well, now she jumps up here and settles in all the time. I have to wonder if it took her this long to realize that it wasn't me disturbing her every five minutes, it was her disturbing me. LOL

Like Spooky, Tess is getting better around strangers but I don't believe she will ever be a "friendly cat" to anyone other than me.

I have had these guys right at a year and their personalities continue to evolve. I think each one has their own unique personality, for whatever reason, and I just try to accept it. But Jen, believe me, both of these guys have seen my ire if they did something dangerous or destructive. It did not seem to have long-term negative consequences on their personalities.

My first calico, who started out as a barn cat and was meaner than snot, took to sleeping on my feet when I was going through my divorce. She did that nightly for about six weeks then never did it again. Who would've thought. I do think they are very sensitive to emotions. When I got my feet back under me emotionally, she reverted back to type. LOL

Anyway, these are just my thoughts and experiences.

Isn't that interesting. Here I thought maybe I understood what Spooky was all about. Something about men Tess really liked huh? Makes you wonder doesn't it? Especially since you got them so young they had no chance of establishing any experiences with people other than you. And that's another weird thing. The way they act with you. But, cats are a way different breed of animal than dogs. They are very independent and have a mind of their own.

Well, guess we better get back to starting plants. I have got to plant the cat grass. Spooky does not get to go outside and she is starting to try to eat my dracena. I think some of those are poisonous for them, not sure if this one is. If I knew what it was I would google it. I better get in there and plant the seeds. ttyl,

Well any way ,, thank you for being patient with me , and I got one , ! lol
This cuts and shreds , paper towel , packing paper , wax paper , No doubt it will cut leaves really good , and may do stems up to 1/4 inch or so , the last I will have to test , It even sounds like the old small shredders use too . I could dance around I am soo soo happy lol


Still only rain here ,,

My patience and skills could be better , but it is functional !!! and nicely so !!!
#5 Bamboo is happy too , cold , cloudy , rainy , just loves it ,, yes it sure does ,

Everything is covered in ice here in KCMO - can't get out to walk OR drive - I'm not happy. I guess I will spend today like I did yesterday - re-potting plants. I'm not good at staying indoors - I need to get OUTDOORS!

I know that feeling Kay , It can get difficult ..

Ditto about the outdoors, except my need is much more reduced in colder weather. Yesterday I walked to the bank and the PO, in the rain. Lol, I was soaked when I got back but...I found seeds so I got home smiling.

WOW Ju...DANCE! That's quite the accomplishment, it's been a blast just following along. Now that you've got the prototype built, you need a gofundme to raise the cash to put it into production.

I use to like walking in the rain , fishing in the rain , even watching the plants , Now it just makes me cold to do that ,

Robin) my skills are little off , But , while it costs 40 to do one , I could do three for about a little less than 100 , One of those things the more you do , the less it costs , I did not have this centered properly ,
All this is not bad if it cuts small stems and branches , you all know the cost of those that do .
This could use some refinements also ,
I will give it the branch and stem test shortly as the chance avails itself ,
I like to tinker anyway as far as business , I doubt it though ,
Thank you for the follow compliment ,, and now to see how long it lasts , lol

Glad the holiday is over I think. The tapioca pudding with coconut milk was good, the raspberry and blackberry pie filling I made from scratch for a topping was good, the graham cracker crust was a disaster and wouldn't come out of the pan, and it turned out my daughter hates tapioca.

But I have managed a pumpkin pie recipe with one extra egg, doubled spices (except for clove which I do NOT double), and coconut milk instead of condensed and it was very good. Today. Getting ready for what looks like 8 inches of rain did some serious cutting into my cooking time Weds and Thursday.

on the bright side my old rotti seems to have successfully beaten mast cell cancer. 14.5 months after surgery, had radiographs and bloodwork done yesterday to kind of assess how he is doing, as he had some kind of pain a couple of weeks ago but it went away in a day or 2. And he is in great health for an 8 yr 5 month rottweiler mix that weighs 101 lbs. (not sure if black lab or bernese mountain dog in the mix but he is definitely not fullblooded rotti). My vet asked him if he would like to give manners lessons to the other dogs they treat, he put up with a really full exam and several poses for xrays. I figured I would lose him he was so sick at this time last year. Glad he is going to hang around.

Well, I started off on a roll and lost it.

Congrats are due to both Roti and JU!! Sounds like you guys started the holiday off on a good leg. Or something. So glad you got it done JU. Would hate to have had all that todo about nothing. Want to see the first pile.


gypsi, that is wonderful. So glad for both you and Roti, Is that his name or the name of his mix? I am going to get off this one before I lose it again. Have to go to my sister's for Thanksgiving dinner. Yep, I sure hate to go outside today. Started out at 11 degrees a little earlier. Up to 20 now. I haven't been out since this cold snap started, and hate to go now.
also, Bob is not feeling well. Did something to his back. Hope he isnt so bad he can't catch me if I fall or slide out there. ttyl,

Okay Ju, I can wait for centering, testing and other refinements. I'm still proud of you!

Gypsi, out of all the new things you made, one mucked up crust isn't bad at all. My Pecan Pie didn't have enough filling per pecan ratio, it was difficult to cut. Next time I'll use more filling and chop the pecans, no more halves, even though it looks good.

Congrats on the good health news for your Rotti, that's heartwarming, nice Thanksgiving gift!

Jen, I wish you didn't have to venture out today either, all the best to you both. I'm hoping Bob feels better real soon and doesn't have to catch you in a slip and fall. Be safe.

Jen do be careful and hope Bob gets better too. rotti's name is Bronx, and he is a 100 lb lap dog, my grandkids adore him.

Neat stuff Ju.
Robin - I think those of us that make the effort deserve some pie!

Stay warm everyone!

I agree Gypsi; I sure deserve some pie. I'm making corn Pudding for today's Thanksgiving dinner at my MIL's. I hope to get more pie but, pudding is a close second.

I'd love to 'propagate' that pudding, Robin - can you post your recipe, please. I love corn pudding, rich and creamy delicacy that it is!

Robin’s Corn Pudding

Ingredients
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 cups half and half cream
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups corn or one frozen bag thawed
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Butter an 8” x 8” baking pan.
2. Mix together salt, sugar, baking powder and flour. Set aside.
3. Mix with a whisk until well combined eggs, half and half and vanilla.
4. Add flour, sugar and salt to the egg/milk mixture and blend together until well combined.
5. Stir in 3 cups of corn kernels. Mix well.
6. Pour into baking pan.
7. Melt butter and drizzle it evenly over the top.
8. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, turn oven down to 350 for about another 25 - 30 minutes or until knife blade comes out clean. Pudding should still shake slightly in the center. Rest for 5 minutes and serve.

Thank you!

Robin are you talking like 3 cups of frozen corn kernels, how many ounces?

You're welcome Kay, if you make any genius alterations, you're going to have to update us. The recipe is basically a custard.

I'd use anywhere from 16 to 24 oz frozen corn kernels Jen. We grow and process our own corn for a winter suppl, and there's a lot of corn milk in our bags. I have used as low as 3 tablespoons of flour with no baking powder. I'm going to work on the recipe more as I'd like to add some cornmeal for more of a spoon-bread type consistency and flavor. Halfway between cornbread and corn pudding.

I suppose you could also use 1 can of creamed corn and one can of corn kernels instead of frozen.

Not sure about a corn pudding. I love Polenta in Tamales. Like it better than Masa. Isn't that just a real finley ground cornmeal? Every year I make a batch of tamales for my sisters. They are a lot of work, and don't make a lot except that I don't use corn husks. I make them in either foil or Parchment paper. They are so good. My mom's recipe is the best ever.

Perhaps it's the recipe for Tamales that makes the Polenta so good. Lucky Sisters! You wouldn't happen to want to share that Tamale recipe, do you Jen?

Absolutely Robin. Tomorrow I will D-mail it. I love it, but like I say, it is a lot of work. However,probably not for you. I have lost a lot of my energy. If I don't get it to you, remind me. LOL, I have lost a lot of my memory too. Not really. And nothing to joke about. Jen

OK Robin, I sent it. Let me know if you make them and how you like them. Jen

I am hungry ,, we do have bread pudding ,

Thanks Jen...I've got to tell you that other Family Recipes are really hard to come by. I so love them!

I guarantee it won't be as much work for me, I solicit help on those dishes. My DH has been learning to cook the last few years, I've been teaching him a lot and most of the time we're in the kitchen together.

I've lost memory and joke about it. I was just told by an elderly Lady at Thanksgiving there's something called CRS...and she asked me if I have it. I couldn't remember.

Bread Pudding is another oldie goldie Ju...mmm.

Robin ,, Pumpkins , Happy Faces , Christmas Bells with Glitter ,,

Besides that I did a few Basil and marigold seeds a while ago ..
Coin Golds grow to slow here , Crackerjack and Aztec for next season , I need easy grow , lol

I'm cleaning and harvesting seeds from Tomatillo's and Cornus kousa. I've still got Chrysanthemums to collect, they didn't want to give it up this year, the fall was too warm and long.

chrysanthemums go to seed?

Yes, that's why they can be bought in packets.

I have several vases of lucky bamboo aka Dracaena sanderiana, growing in clear vases of water. I take advantage of these vases of rooted Dracaena stalks by placing cuttings of various plants (Passiflora right now) and they root - love this technique - so easy - stick them in and forget them!

Kay could you give us a photo of your setup? It sounds nice, and easy to do without making it obvious to others that the only window is being given over to plant propagation!

I only have a Note Book, so no way to post pictures. It's done just as I described. I am sure if I provided bottom heat rooting would happen faster, but the water would evaporate quicker. I'm never in a hurry, so whenever it roots, I pot it up.

well I don't spend a lot of time shopping but have never seen chrysanthemum seeds. Oooops. I don't buy a lot of seeds at the store though, and haven't seen them in my catalogs. I just always started mums from cuttings.

Gypsi, these are a hardy perennial Chrysanthemum (daisy type) and this is the first year I've collected seed from it.

Kay, don't you have to change the water often for the rooting Dracaena sanderiana?

I change it about once a month and just add to it as it evaporates. I add a pinch of Miracle Grow when I change the water.

That's interesting, is there some compound in Dracaena sanderiana that prevents algae to grow or other cuttings to rot in the water?

I get most of my seeds online. When I googled Chrysanthemum seeds I got a bunch of different sources but there are many types of Chysanthemums. I don't know much about them tho.

I am guilty of getting flowers for cheap and free and collecting seed from them and swapping for cuttings of perennial flowers. I have traded for most of my bulb stuff, or gotten what was already in my yard (and my last yard) to propagate. I buy vegetble seeds.

I have bought flower seeds. have a whole box of little packages to try to cold start this winter. Most did not grow, but I do ok with morning glories and tropical annual moonflowers, and a lot of wildflowers started from mix and collected individually afterward. (I do not plant datura, it is poisonous to my dogs and difficult to get rid of)(