Flower Friday February 5

Never mind that I am late again in my post, making this really a Flower Friday-Saturday post, these photos of vanda orchids are worth my temporary lapse. I spotted the vandas gowing up the trunk of my noni tree as I was searching my yard for some greenery for a floral arrangement. They were unassumingly blooming hoping that I would notice and had been blooming for a couple of weeks I surmised. I had forgotten that this little vanda blooms 2 often 3 times a year. How could I have let these gorgeous orchids almost go unnoticed? Not for long.

Despite the spots and blemishes of an older fading blossom, I took some photos where as you can observe, they are still a lovely sight to behold.

This vanda was planted about 8 years ago and has bloomed faithfully all these many moons. I use ‘planted’ in the loosest of terms as I stuck this little orchid next to a tree and lightly attached it to the trunk with some string. Lucky you live Hawaii!

I can’t remember how or when I got this vanda orchid and therefore do not know its proper name. I wish I did on both counts. Still charming none the less.

Flower Friday January 22

Our featured flower this Friday is the Cymbidium Orchid. These I bought at the Hilo Farmer’s Market 2 1/2 weeks ago. They are starting to show their wear and several buds from each spray have fallen but I continue to trim their stems and plunk them back into their vase. This photo has a ‘painting’ look to it making it quite appealing despite the browning of some petals.

I bought 3 stalks of different colored cymbidium. This is the 2nd one with smaller and more numerous blosssoms.

The above photo is the 3rd stem of cymbidiums orchids, deep and richly hued. Cymbidiums grow well in Hawaii’s cooler climates. They are not as happy in the lower elevations and really not happy at all at sea level.

Here they are all buddied up in a vase. So simple-no greenery, just a pretty thicket of orchids. If I told you how much they cost you all just may swallow your gum. Let’s just say that all 3 sprays cost less than a 12 pack of green bottled beer.

Plenty Papaya

Like babies, papayas generally take 9 months from planting to harvest. 9 months is not considered very long in the agricultural world, but like a baby it sometimes feels like it’s forever. These papaya were just flushing to ripe yet it took another 2 almost 3 weeks until I could pick and eat the fruit from my backyard tree.

Truth be told…several times a day, I would peer up at my tree checking for more shades of bright yellow indicating ripeness. I needed to be vigilant against curious and hungry fruit eating birds yet allow the  mature papaya to sweeten to their tree ripened richness.

Patience was indeed rewarded Yay! Hooray! They were readyto be harvested in all their glorious golden ripeness.

I had papaya with blueberries and yogurt with a hint of mint from my garden.

I made a yummy quick chicken and payaya salad for dinner that can be eaten hot or cold.

Even my kitty Poha had a taste of papaya and yogurt topped with our homegrown poha berries for a visual pun giggle.  Yummy delicious! she purred. As did we all.

As a bonus, I snapped this shot of the Don Juan climbing rose back in November when as you can see the fruit were still green. I was really trying to get a photo of this rose after a light morning shower had left it all dewy and glistening as I thought I would feature this flower in a future Flower Friday. Stay tuned.

Flower Friday January 15

 

More dendrobiums for today’s Flower Friday. Although these pretty purple beauties are rather common, I am still featuring them this week as they are my first 2 blooms from this little plant. As you recall, I was gifted with numerous orphaned orchid plants with a touching story behind them. Bugs and slugs plagued this particular one with promising new spikes getting devoured overnight. Thus my delight as I tended these 2 blossoms and checked their progress daily. Yay! my reward and now I share with you.

This dendrobium’s veiny petals are mesmerizing.

And my fondness for the macro shot continues.

This one with a kiss from a mid-January Hawaiian sunbeam.

Flower Friday-January 8

This Epidendrum orchid is so easy to grow. I barely even water them and they seem to thrive. My 92 year old neighbor was throwing his extra plants away and I snagged a few. Now I have countless plants growing in every nook and cranny of my yard. Wherever I need a dot of color I drop these orchids, as they will grow almost anywhere.

Epidendrums or Epis come in a multitude of colors and each has a name of course. I only have 2 colors at the moment but unfortunately I never got the proper name for this variety and color. I can only assume that this variety of Epi is quite old as many many many elderly gardeners and many many very many gardeners have them in their yards in Hawaii.

01/01/10

I am compelled to write these numbers today. Oh-One/Oh-One/One-Oh.  OH-EE/OH-EE/EE-OH.You either get it or you don’t, sorry, I can’t explain. But it feels good and rolls off your tongue and it makes me smile. Let me say/write it again.

01/01/10

Hauoli Makahiki Hou!!

A Holiday Tradition

In Hawaii, we honor and remember those who came before us by visiting the gravesites of our relatives. This tradition is especially apparent during Holidays, whether it be Christmas, New Years, Valentine’s or Memorial Day. We bring flowers from our gardens or a bouquet purchased from the many vendors that line the major arteries to the various cemeteries. Often we leave a little something to eat or drink; some fruit, some candy, a bag of poi, a bottle of beer.

With armloads of flowers, my sister usually visits the graveyards for Christmas and I bring flowers for New Year’s. We have settled into this routine without discussion. Happily, it works for both of us. New Year’s Eve in the year 1919 was our father’s birthday. Isn’t that a great number? I love that date! Hauoli la Hanau Dad!!!!!!

There are flowers and gifts of all sorts and sizes at the cemetery…as far and in every direction one’s gaze fall. It is beautiful and calming and inspiring and energizing despite a Mainlanders initial thoughts. Lots of people paying their respects, kids running and giggling, conversations initiated, comings and goings. Yes, as odd as it sounds, Hawaii’s cemeteries are for the living.

HAUOLI MAKAHIKI HOU !!!!!    HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Mele Kalikimaka and Flower Friday December 25

We topped our little potted Norfolk Pine with this large and stunning red hibiscus. Very tropical and eco-easy…if you are Lucky to live in Hawaii.

We have a new kitty addition to our family. That and the procrastination regarding buying a Christmas tree this year left us searching our yard and using a little make-do ingenuity. It wasn’t hard. A few years ago when the 2 acre parcel across the street from us was being graded and sadly scraped of trees, I saved some pine cones from several large and beautiful Norfolk Pine trees. I successfully germinated several little saplings, sewed Hawaiian barkcloth bags (get it?) in bright tropical prints to tuck the pots into, scattered a few hand swirled glass ornaments in their boughs and gave them away as Christmas gifts. I had a couple few left and my husband chose a wee little sprite and had it decorated for me when I came home one evening. Including topping the tree with this gorgeous crimson hibiscus.

The ornaments proved to be such a kitty magnet and didn’t last long on the tree. The red & white thingies are old napkin rings that I stitched from ribbons. The cutie mermaid-bunny is a Kathy R. creation that I seem to be smitten with as I find myself forgetting from year to year and have purchased the same animal creations over and over. They are so darn cute though that I don’t mind my repitious buying pattern. The gold pine cone is a handmade creation from our friend Bob J. who saved, sprayed and created this sentimental ornament from a towering Norfolk which was a landmark for surfers at this special spot for many years. That tree sadly was cut down this year. Mahalo Bob for saving and sharing. Like the tree ornaments, this red hybrid hibiscus didn’t last long. But lucky us! all we had to do was pluck another from the bush and place it as a proud topper on our little Hawaiian Christmas tree.

MELE KALIKIMAKA!! Happy Flower Friday although a bit late.

Flower Friday 12/18

Our chosen flower for today’s Flower Friday is another of my backyard beauties. This yellow rose is called Golden Showers and it is of the climbing variety. I have repotted 2 of the rose stalks in separate large pots. These, I had bought at the end of this past Spring from a mega store at a deep, dirt cheap so to speak discount. I also have one plant of this same variety in the ground, but it has not produced but 4-5 blooms in so many years. this lone little rose decided to grace me with its full bloom beauty this morning. Yesterday it was just a bud. Lucky Me! Roses the week before Christmas. I’ll say it again…Lucky You Live Hawaii…

These pretty yellow blossoms are only 3″ in diameter. I prefer my roses and most flowers for that matter to have a fragrance. These Golden Shower lovelies are no exception with a light yet spicy aroma.

The above shot is with a macro lens which has made every amateur photographer believe they are a pro.

Exotic Me

Perhaps you have me confused with another exotic beauty I responded. I was speaking with a bit of puzzlement to the technician at my mammogram who was verifying the run of the mill questions on my form from previous years. Somewhere during my last check up two years ago a zealous someone had listed my ethnicity as Spanish, Hawaiian, Portuguese, Philipino. Yikes, sounds like a stunning mixture, but oh-so-not me. Two years prior to that, I had listed myself as I usually do, as  Hawaiian. That is true. Hawaii’s many nationalities and ethnicities have blended and mixed over the years to produce limitless combinations of gorgeous women and men that the above mentioned mix was not uncommon. It just was was not my particular stew-concoction. I began to wonder if that unknown someone two years previous had THOUGHT I looked like a dark skinned exotica therefore I WAS or at least should be listed as such. Or was she just confusing me with another patient. The answer to that question will remain a mystery. But now I will be alerted to paying attention to the mundania that should not always be taken as fact. And, for the rest of the day I tried to see myself as a beautiful if mysteriously mixed ethnic lovely, gliding through life as if it were her (my) gracious gift. It was fun.