Superteam iPad Program (XtraNormal)

Episode III of "The Paragon" begins after Bowie has rescued team captain Muffy from an attack by the Russian Robot Brigade. In the aftermath, Muffy asks him to think about implementing an iPad program for their team.

Superteam iPad Program
by: hermietheelf

Garden Update: Random Stuff

Hey there!

This post consists of some random images from the garden that I thought you'd enjoy.... For example, the orange butterfly with the damaged wings that I chased for 10 minutes around the yard as I waited for him to perch on something so I could take a picture. How cool is it that when he finally did perch it was atop one of my cactus plants!?! It's like he knew exactly what would make me squeal with joy, not just an up close photo, but one of him chilling out on my cactus! Anyway, the poor guy had some wing damage and perhaps that explains why he was flying around all weird...

Although, I don't think it's just the wing issues, I think it's butterflies in general... and maybe because I was walking around after it with a camera coaching it with little "come on butterfly" chants to land so I could paparazzi away! Hehe... Bottom line is, this butterfly flapped around the yard like a stumbling drunk for a long time with me skipping behind it on a photo mission and an excited Kimbo (our Boxer) jumping like a prancing pony in circles around me... If the earnest hunter look on his face meant anything I guess he was probably thinking, "If she doesn't catch that thing I'm gonna chomp it right out of the sky!" Hahahaha.... I love him!

So, before I go on rambling for another few paragraphs, here are some random images of things going on in the garden... Have a great afternoon!

More garden posts that you might like:
Garden Update: Garden Tour Update (from today)
Garden Update Part I: My Planters - September (from yesterday)
Garden Update - July
Garden Update - April Part 2
Garden Update - April
Garden Update - February
Cactus Corner
My Mother's Garden
Backyard Garden Tour
Weekend Garden Goodies
Succulent and Cactus Garden Tour

*all* Garden Update posts
*all* posts on my garden
*all* posts on my mother's garden
*all* posts on my grandmother's garden

I got this awesome little frog prince at Ross a while back, I had seen him lurking on the aisle shelves for months and, at around $15 he was a bit too pricey for me. However, one day I finally spotted him in the clearance aisle with a $5 tag, in others words - the price was right and he was MINE! I'm not sure what his official purpose is because he has a big round opening in his crown with a ceramic cup resting in it, he is hollow inside and there are two big holes at the bottom. My best guess is some type of oil burner for the garden to repel bugs, but who knows.  All I really wanted him for was to turn into a planter (because he has holes at the bottom and top) or just use as garden decor. Anyway, he is currently guarding my large planters by the pool... I've got to fill him with a succulent or two, I think he would look great with one of those bloomin' onion looking Echeveria's growing out of his crown!

A quick side note - there is a disgustingly enormous frog that lives in our yard and lurks near our front door looking for leftovers after the cat finishes her food and I almost stepped on it the other day as I rushed out the door to school - thank goodness I looked down!! To my horror it actually jumped at me, as if it was trying to jump up the step of the threshold and get in the house - I shrieked like I was being stabbed to death! Not so much because he jumped towards the door but because my skin was crawling with the morbid thought of what would have happened if I had stomped down on him in my flip-flops!!! AHHHHHH!!!!! Also, you must know that when I was around 10, I was outside playing hide and seek with two of my male cousins (it had rained a lot and was getting dark) and suddenly I hear "hey Catherine!" and when I turn around my cousin hurled a huge wet slimy frog at me and of all places, it hit my FACE! *Shudders* Yeah, it was HORRIBLE!

So anyway, this mini horrifying experience (and that disturbing memory) really made me realize how ironic it is that my mother and I love the heck out of any ceramic frog for the yard (and we have many to prove it - damn you Marshalls, TJMaxx and Ross!), because real frogs are something out of a nightmare! Little baby frogs and those cute jungle tree frogs are great, but big frogs and toads are traumatizing! I don't want to tell you that I might run for the salt the next time I see it, but I might! I'm certainly not brave enough to grab it by the leg and chuck it over the wall of our yard like my grandmother used to do (what a hilarious sight)! That woman is fearless!

I can't wait to fill him with succulents.... stay tuned!

Check out this awesome thing!  I don't know what the heck it is, but it looks like it's a combination of a candelabra and a mini bird bath!  Or a mini prayer altar for holding burning candles and holy water, not sure.  If anyone out there knows what this is called and what it is used for please let me know!!  The bottom is marked Karam International and I can't find anything but a metal welding company and a Middle Eastern staffing agency when I Google it, hehe.  It's certainly not a Menorah as it does not have enough candle holders, however a friend suggested perhaps it is a Kinara since it has seven candle holders.  What is the littel hook for on the underside of the bowl?  Hmmm.... anyone know?

Anyway, me and this gem go waaaay back!  For well over a year I would see this piece of painted ceramic decor floating around the same TJMaxx, from aisle to aisle, at first it was full price - $24.99 with an original price of $80.00!!   Naturally I swooned over its good looks but rejected its price tag, after all I only wanted it for yard decor/possible mini bird bath!  Well, once day as I perused the aisles of that TJMaxx, TA-DAHHHHH.......

I'm in love!  It's currently living over in Cactus Corner, I'll be back next week with an update on that part of my garden!

This is a picture of a lizard that was lounging on one of my mother's planters in the patio.... Call me paranoid but I swear he was watching me as I snapped photos of my planters nearby. In fact, my suspicion was confirmed when I got close to him to take a picture and he cocked his head to one side and followed me everywhere I moved! At one point he got scared and made a mad dash for the other side of the planter and out of sight, but then suddenly popped his head over the corner and I swear it was to look at me. This is not the first time I've noticed such a thing, there is a large lizard clan in my yard and my dog Chewby has a grand 'ol time trying to catch them - constantly, he's obsessed! Anyway, I'm not crazy, lizards have funny personalities and I think we take for granted that since they are living animals just like us, it's quite possible that they observe us from time to time.

And of course last, but definitely not least, our Boxer with the amazing personality - Kimbo!

(All images in this post are my personal photographs, please do not use them without my written permission. If you would like to use any of my photos of my home and garden from this blog please contact me at InspireBohemia(at)blogspot(dot)com - Thank you!)

Horn Dog: Technidiot (XtraNormal)

Episode II of my XtraNormal series, "The Paragon."

Muffy, team captain to The Paragon, confronts Horn Dog after he misses the rescheduled team meeting. Horn Dog apparently has trouble with modern technology. Anyone who met Horn Dog in Episode I ("Horn Puppy & Crew Cuts") will have no trouble believing this.

Horn Dog: Technidiot
by: hermietheelf


Dear creators and writers of "Archer,"
Please feel free to find these episodes so uncontrollably hilarious that you contact me at bottomoftheglass@gmail.com and ask me if I would be interested in writing with you. Or, better, creating a show that came on after "Archer." Peace out, hippie.

Garden Update Part I: My Planters

Hellloooo....

Wow, do I have A LOT of pictures to share with you, so many that in order to cover the entire scope of the good, the bad and the ugly I need to break this new garden update into several themed posts! Yipeee... I know I should start with the bad first and leave the good for last, but I'm doing it the other way around because the post on the bad, a.k.a. my plant tragedies, requires a lot more writing, as in details on the various culprits of my plant woes and some mopey ranting. Regardless of how much green thumb, motherly and grandmotherly guidance or reading you do gardening is definitely a learn as you go hobby!

One thing you will notice from the pictures in this post is that the succulents and cacti that didn't perish (for one reason or another) are raging out of control! Out of control as in plants gone rogue! Plants gone rogue as in they've grown and are growing like crazzzzzy! I've said this before, but nature never ceases to amaze me so I say it again! Now that it has been nearly two years since I started gardening, I've seen plants go through pretty phases and ugly phases throughout the year, it's a cycle. I've noticed patterns in so many of my plants, specifically the succulents, which I find to be more sensitive. I've learned which succulents and cacti grow faster, propagate better and can survive lots of rain and sun, as well as which ones don't. Like I said, learn as you go...

So, apart from the account of all my plant deaths and pests, upcoming posts will include newly filled planters such as two of those four mini strawberry pot planters I bought at Lowe's a while back (show in this post) and others.  Cactus Corner is long overdue for an update, wait until you see it, it's radically different - as in a whole separate mess of awesomeness combined with trial and error. Additionally, I have a post planned for the large blue strawberry pot planter that I filled with succulents and cactus as a gift for Mother's Day (first seen in this post). All I can say is, that thing is amazing!!  It's one of the best planters I've ever made! An update on many of the plants in my mother's garden is also in order, there's tons going on there!

I'll get workin' on those other update posts, in the meantime I hope you enjoy this one!  Have a great day!

If you like this post check out these:
Garden Update - July
Garden Update - April Part 2
Garden Update - April
Garden Update - February
Cactus Corner
My Mother's Garden
Backyard Garden Tour
Weekend Garden Goodies
Succulent and Cactus Garden Tour

*all* Garden Update posts
*all* posts on my garden
*all* posts on my mother's garden
*all* posts on my grandmother's garden

Where do I even begin with this succulent??  The color is oh so wonderful, especially in contrast with the turquoise of the planter!  This gem has come a long way, for a while after I got it I thought it was on the verge of death (look at it here), but it seems to be thriving now!  I'm smitten!

These succulents have changed in color, back in April and July they were more purple....

As you will see there are quite a few plants which I will refer to as beasts or the "Hulk" in this post, this is one of them (above)...  The beast is called Kalanchoe Serrata a.k.a. "Magic Tower" and I spotted it growing by the side of the road last year as I sat in rush hour traffic on my way home from work, obviously one day I got off the car and plucked some - read all about it and see pictures of my initial clippings in this post.  I don't know how tall it gets, but I'm going to find out.  Wait no, how could I forget, the ones over in Cactus Corner are so tall that they're drooping in the shape of a U!  In other words, they really don't know when to stop...  I would suggest cutting off the tips when they get too tall.  Yes they'll have blunt tips, but don't worry, they grow (and spread and propagate) so fast it's sorta disturbing!

Sigh...

I believe this cactus is called Euphorbia trigona a.k.a. "African Milk Tree"...  It is one of the many cactus and succulent plants in my garden that have grown tremendously!  I am so happy that I have succeeded in nourishing it thus far since it was a gift from my grandmother.  Look at how small it was back in 2010, and to think that I used to worry about how slow it was to put out little cactus "arms" because now it's a beast!

These spiky guys just keep growin' and growin!  I think they're fantastic!  The photographs in this post show just how sexy the Alluaudia procera a.k.a. Madagascan Ocotillo is up close!



Get a load of this Pencil Cactus - Euphorbia tirucalli!  I am amazed at its growth, it's like the Hulk, check out how teeny tiny it was back in April 2010 when my mother first gave it to me!



This thing is Hulk #2 - Hulk Aloe!  Just take a look at how much it has grown since this February post!
Succulents are freakin' amazing! :)


The various shades of color throughout the leaves and the pinkish red outline of these Kalanchoes is such perfection! 

I can't get enough of these little scarlet flowers on this cactus vine, they are truly a work of art!  I believe this cactus is called Asclepiadaceae Huernia schneideriana a.k.a. The Red Dragon flower!

It's time to transplant this gorgeous prickly monster into something bigger and reuse this planter for something else...  Knowing my clumsy self, it's going to be an incredibly painful task!  Haha...

This succulent has great colors and texture, I believe it's either Kalanchoe tomentosa a.k.a. Golden Girl or Kalanchoe Tomentosa cv a.k.a. Chocolate Soldier...

This is my mom's McCoy turtle that I filled with succulents because it had two broken feet with little holes, hence drainage...  So far it has only suffered the death of a little bit of sedum and one small succulent....

This cactus is a real treasure!  It's a it's a bit shriveled in this photo because I had it under the patio to protect it from getting too much rain and it got thirsty, that has since been remedied.  As you can see, it has two huge bulbs that are about to open...  What you don't see is how it does this CONSTANTLY.  That's the beauty of it, it blooms frequently and it has a nice fuzzy velvet texture.  You can see the amazing blooms in this post.

I love this tubular coral looking Jade plant!

(All images in this post are my own personal photographs, please do not use them without my written permission. If you would like to use any photographs of my home, garden or artwork please write me at InspireBohemia(at)gmail(dot)com - Thank you.)