Sansevieria Propagation

I have been growing sansevieria for a few years now.  I always divide them by the rhizomes to get new plants.  This has been a slow process, as my plants don't put out rhizomes very quickly.  Dividing the rhizomes is the only way to get plants that are sure to resemble the mother.  It's also the best way to avoid the pitfalls of leaf cuttings: mostly rotting before rooting.  However, as I get further in my journey, I decided it's time to try propagation by leaf cutting.  The plain sansevieria will propagate true from leaf cutting, but many of the types with variegation will revert to a nonvariegated form.  There are some resources that tell you which ones will revert and which ones won't. 

I recent had a strange outbreak with some of my plants.  Some died and some had horrifying-looking brown spots.  I lost my original "moonshine," but luckily the local green house had a 3-gallon pot which I bought to replace it.  This left me with an overabundance of "moonshine" as I repotted it into 5 small pots.  This was the perfect time for me to try leaf propagation, having many adult leaves to choose from on this plant.  Moonshine is one that does not propagate true from leaf cuttings.  Chances are, the resulting plant will revert to regular S. trifasciata, which is a nice plant, and a specimen that I don't own.  However, in some literature, namely "The Sansevieria Book" by Hermine Stover, mentions "Moonshine reversion" from leaf cutting which is a plant that looks like trifasciata, but has the growing habit of moonshine.  

Anyway, I started this whole thing 2 months ago, and this weekend I finally saw roots, and then more roots.

--吴碧芙

The mother plant: S. trifaciata "Moonshine"

8/2/19: One root

8/5/19: More roots

Post #203: Upcycling

Before

After

A couple of months ago, we were talking about how it would be nice to have a chalkboard in the kitchen to write our menus on.  I looked around for chalkboards and found out that not only are they incredibly expensive, but they also get terrible reviews, like the paint scratches, chips, or the chalk won't erase completely.

I found some DIY blogs in which they described finding an old picture and repurposing the frame to make a chalkboard with chalkboard paint.

I found a large picture at my local Savers for $5.  We were able to pop out the original picture and cut some partical board to fit the frame.  We got some chalkboard paint and did about 4 coats of that.  And today we were able to hang up a menu board in the kitchen.

--吴碧芙

Post #202: The Thing Tutorial

I ordered a large utility tote from Thirty-One.  I found out after I received it that (1) it kind of smooshes down and has soft sides, (2) they make this thing that holds the tote open and keeps the sides more rigid, (3) the thing is only sold on a monthly special by the company and is not in the regular catalog, (4) the thing is also sold on Amazon and ebay for $50+ (What?!?), and (5) the thing can be made at home using some vague tutorials found online.

Step 1: Gather the materials

I decided to make my own tutorial to make the thing, which is called a "stand tall insert."  Here is what I used:

• big diaper box (like the 150-diaper pack)
• 1 yard of "value vinyl" in a complementary color (found at Walmart for $5/yard)
• duct tape
• spray adhesive
• something to cut the heavy-duty cardboard (I used a husband with a table saw)
• scissors to cut the vinyl
• newspaper and painter's tape (for shielding the spray adhesive)

(You can see E-600 glue in the picture.  I used that to get some exercise by throwing it in the garbage.)

Step 2: Cut the cardboard

I cut the box apart, leaving the sides and long bottom flaps, to 21 inches long, which is the internal length of the large utility tote.  If you do this, you will not need to create new creases to make the bottom and sides.

Step 3: Overlap bottom flaps for 9-in width between creases

Then I overlapped the bottom flaps so that the bottom of the thing would be 9 inches wide, which is the internal width of the large utility tote.  I used duct tape to tape the top and bottom seams.  Think "science fair" with a overlapped middle panel.

Use a scissors to cut the vinyl.  I bought one yard, which was actually wide enough to cut in half and make two of these things.  

Step 4: Trim vinyl and adhere with spray adhesive

Now, let me introduce you to my new best friend: Spray Adhesive.  I wasn't going to use spray adhesive, but the E-600 could not do the job at all.  Spray adhesive was perfect.  I sprayed and adhered the thing starting with the middle panel: Spray, stick, smooth, wait.  

After doing the side panels, I turned it over and wrapped around the edges using spray adhesive.  I used painter's tape to tape newspaper to the cardboard to shield from overspray.  Painter's tape is easily removed from the cardboard immediately after spray adhesive is applied.

Step 5: Let spray adhesive dry

The spray adhesive makes it look super crisp with no gaps when the sides are folded up and placed inside the large utility tote.  All this ended up being 10% of the current going rate for these things (on Amazon and ebay).  I will admit that the official product might be better and does have some mesh pockets, but I think this works quite well and can't be beat for the price!
--吴碧芙

Step 6: Fit the thing inside the tote

Post #201: Little Projects

Broken crayons in silicone ice tray

New crayons

We've been doing little projects around the house.  

When we were visiting my parents, I found the crayon box my uncle made me when I was little.  It still had crayons inside, although most were broken.  Actually, my parents had a shoe box full of old crayons, so Miss E and I picked out a bunch of different shades of different colors, with the plan to melt them into new crayons.  We were lucky enough to find this silicone ice tray intended to make water bottle ice cubes.  

I baked them in the toaster oven at 200 degrees for about 20 min, and they turned out perfect!

The other project is my new obsession, which is mother-in-law's tongue, sansevieria plants.  My mother-in-law gave me one a year ago when she divided her massive plant.  The one she gave me was a small-sized one, so I did a bit of research to identify it.  It seems to be a Dwarf Laurentii cultivar, but while doing the research, I found all types of different cultivars, with new cultivars still being discovered.

In January, I ordered my second sansevieria, which is a "Golden Hahnii" cultivar.  It's very small and very cute.  I had it at my desk at work for a bit, but it started looking sad.  I think I over-watered it one time and also there isn't a lot of sun at my desk.  (While they are supposed to thrive in poor conditions, the one thing that can kill a sansevieria is too much water.)  I found two coveted cultivars at my local nursery this March: Silver Hahnii and Black Star.  Those were strong plants, so I repotted them and divided the Black Star, placing part of it in the same pot as the "dying" Golden Hahnii.  Guess who perked up after that?

Sansevieria Jade Dwarf before repotting

This spring I started checking my local stores for house plants.  I was able to find a bunch of rare cultivars at Walmart, of all places.  Last weekend, I found a Jade Dwarf at Home Depot.  It was kind of hidden amoung other things, so I almost missed it.  It was also half dead, and I went to customer service to get a discount on it.  I got it for a 50% discount, which made sense to me because 2/3 of the roots appeared to be salvagable.  So last weekend, Miss E helped me repot all of these finds.  I was able to identify Black Moon today, after researching another variety.

--吴碧芙

Sansevieria (clockwise from top left, cultivar-purchase location): Bantel's Sensation-Walmart, Laurentii-Walmart, Jade Dwarf-Home Depot, Dwarf Laurentii-Walmart, Dwarf Black Moon-Walmart

Post #200: Plant Obsession

I've been scouting the Internet for weeks to try to find more Mother-in-law's tongue plants.  I got a dwarf one from my mother-in-law last year, and I managed not to kill it.  The one she gave me is on the far left in the photo, in the terra cotta pot.  She gave me the spider plant in the photo too, over two years ago.

Six weeks ago, I ordered a little golden hahnii bird's nest variety.  I kept it at my desk at work for a while, but my desk is void of sunlight, and this little plant got depressed and started getting droopy.  I brought it home, but I kept poking it, and so it was suffering from over-loving, which apparently mother-in-law's tongues don't appreciate.  The sadder it looks, the more I want to adjust something to make it better.  I'm hoping it will pull through, while also looking for more varieties for my collection.  

Dwarf varieties are, predictably, difficult to find locally, but also on the Internet.  I think your best bet is to order from a person who has these plants and is selling due to splitting and repotting.  I ordered a dwarf black star variety from a person in California via ebay last week, and I haven't received it yet.  I went around looking for appropriate potting vessels today.  I happened to find two dwarf varieties for sale at our local greenhouse, and after all that time searching the Internet...These are the lighter-colored one, which I suspect is moonshine or silver hahnii, and dark with yellow edges, which I suspect is black star.  the varieties were not labeled.

So today I had a potting party, potting the new plants, and replanting that poor golden hahnii using cactus medium.  I put one of the dark pups in the same pot as the golden hahnii as a friend and for stability.  Now I promise not to touch it anymore, only water it when it's dry.

--吴碧芙

Post #199: Two-color knitting tecnique

Un-named frogged pattern

Working color (grey) held behind previously 
worked color (white). White strand hangs off the 
front of the work. (Bottom white strand is the initial 
join for two-color knitting.)

I frogged (aka "ripped out all stitches of") a project that I started 2 years ago.  I had completed about 3 inches of the scarf before I frogged it.  I liked the pattern, but I determined that the pattern was taking too long and using too much yarn per inch of length.  Basically, I was knitting 2 rows for the equivalent of 1 row of length, so I needed something a little faster.  I ended up finding a new use for the yarn, which is a different pattern by one of my favorite designers, although I found the pattern first, and then found out she had designed it.  The new pattern is called "With all my love scarf."  I don't know the name of the old pattern because I can't find the written pattern right now.

Side view

In doing two-color designs, the question always comes up about how to change colors in an attractive way.  I like to slip the first stitch of every row for a nice edge in general, but this is complicated by colorwork.  I'm posting some pictures here to save time next time, so I don't have to try and figure it out again.

First stitch slipped to right needle, with working color (grey)
held in front of stitch.  Grey strand moved to back of work
for next knit stitch.  White strand hangs in front of work.

Basically, you hold the working yarn behind the previously worked yarn.  Pictures are necessary because it doesn't look like it will work when you're doing it.  This is why when I go to start a new project, it takes me a few tries before I remember the way I like it.

When using this technique the edges do not match, but both edges look nice.

--吴碧芙

Post #198: Thanksgiving

We had planned to go to Des Moines for Thanksgiving, where we usually see my uncle's family.  His neighbor has also joined for a number of years, and we have a nice tradition built there.  We decided to change our plans at the last minute due to the weather.  We went to Sioux City instead and had a nice long weekend with the other side of the family.

It wasn't until Thanksgiving dinner that I realized how much I missed the little specific things that I associate with Thanksgiving, only because of going to my uncle's for all those years.  His neighbor always brings spinach-egg casserole and pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust.  My aunt and uncle always make carrot souffle.

Vegetarian Wellingon cross sectional study

We did have some amazing meals, mostly crafted by my husband. The pièce de résistance was this Vegetarian Wellington. It is thyme-roasted carrots, wrapped in duxelles (which is a mixture of mushrooms, onions, shallots, and herbs sautéed in butter, and reduced to a paste), wrapped in a cashew bean mixture, wrapped in puff pastry. For the record, there was also Beef Wellington.

Vegetarian Wellingon dressed with a side of Brussels sprouts 

This was all topped with the most amazing red wine reduction sauce. It blew my mind-hole! It was a culinary triumph. Miss E even ate it, sans wine reduction. She has expensive tastes, and she likes umami.
--吴碧芙

Post #197: Owl organizing

Before: cluttered

After: organized

Tuesday is my day off, and today I decided to focus my attention on cooking and cleaning.  

The cooking is taking care of itself.  I'm making Slow Cooker Lentil Chili, with a few secret extra ingredients.  I used the Vitamix to chop the veggies, and sauteed them last night, and threw them in the slow cooker this morning.  Dinner done!

Next, I tackled this 3-foot counterspace, which was cluttered mostly by things that needed to be put away...and old mail.  I got a little owl planter at Hobby Lobby, and it fit my criterion of "functional owl items."  It is able to contain all of our binder clips (butterfly clips), while also looking cute.  In our kitchen, we use binder clips for everything, so now they have a home.

--吴碧芙

Post #196: In which Miss E goes to the Children's Museum

Getting eggs

This Labor Day weekend, Miss E got a visit from Grama and Grampa.  On Saturday, we took a little day trip to Brookings.  We started with lunch at Pheasant Restaurant and Lounge, which is, reportedly, where Gordon Ramsay ate when filming Kitchen Nightmares in nearby Minnesota.  (By the way, it was not a kitchen nightmare; it's supposedly his favorite restaurant in South Dakota!)  I had a vegetarian burger, which made the short list of best burgers in a 7-hour radius.  Miss E got grilled cheese, but she actually ate every French fry in sight instead.

Also notable about the restaurant is, they manage to keep it classy and have a name like "pheasant" without any taxidermy pheasants displayed in any part of the restaurant or wine cellar. This is very hard to do in South Dakota, and I was nervous, but I was pheasantly surprised (cringe!).  

Picking flowers

However, the main event was everyone's first visit to the Children's Museum.  The museum is housed in an old school, with each former classroom housing a different exhibit.  I thought Miss E would kick and scream as we transitioned to different rooms, but she was fine and each room was better than the last.  It was the most fun day we have had in a long time.  It's strange to be in a place where you are encouraged to touch and interact with the exhibits, touching, climbing, building, splashing...there is so much to do.  In one of the exhibits, (older) children can "climb a cloud" all the way up to the ceiling, of the two-story building.

Highlights for us included: 
• Giant Lite Brite

• Splash table

• MiniExplorers slides, steps, and cave

• Picking flowers and ears of corn

• Getting eggs from under the chickens

• Playing in the stream outside

• SDSU ice cream: SDSU is where "cookies & cream" was invented.  Could anyone imagine a world without "cookies & cream?"  Does anyone want to?

Also, happening this week: Miss E learned how to say her own name!  She is also repeating a lot more and pointing to get us to name things--mostly "Elsa...Anna...Olaf...Elsa...Anna...etc." 


--吴碧芙

Post #195: A little work, a little play

Working from home

On the bridge

Today after church, we planned to assemble a salad, pack a picnic, and have lunch outside at the local Japanese gardens.  We had moved Miss E's little table and chair into the kitchen on Saturday, when we cleaned the kitchen and prepared our Sunday lunch components, while she played with her Duplo farm set.  Today, she sat for a good ten minutes and watched Elmo in Grouchland.  She definitely looked like she was working from home.

This is the third or fourth time that we have gone to the Japanese gardens.  Today our menu was farro salad with fresh cucumber, garden kale, garden tomatoes, corn, black beans, and lemon dressing.  We also took aged cheddar and Triscuits, fresh raspberries, and watermelon.  After lunch, we took a little walk, especially on the bridge.  Miss E loved the ducks.  We watched them eat, with their tails up and heads under the water.  Miss E had her rubber duck eating all over the bath tonight.  We also all ate some pretend raisins in the bath, and at the grocery store, proving: raisins are always fun, even when they're not really there.
--吴碧芙

Post #194: In which Miss E goes to a California wedding

Looking out

Before felting

After felting

This is the first blog post after a long hiatus.  At the request of my great-aunt, I decided to start posting again.  And guess what, guys?!?  We're almost up to post #200!

During the break, a lot of things happened.  Most notably: Our family grew by one very sweet little girl, Miss E/Boo Boo/L. Bell or any number of wordplay reformulations and extensions that may or may not be vaguely related to her name.  I probably finished whatever knitting project you last saw me working on...and many others.

Last week Miss E  took her first plane ride to California.  She did surprisingly well, with the minor exception of raisins being dropped on the ground in 5 states, 4 planes, 3 hotel rooms, and at least 3 restaurants.  When the raisin trees start sprouting, you'll know where they came from...

At the wedding, she had a great time.  For me, something changed.  Maybe it was seeing those California relatives that I hadn't seen in so long, and despite the long separation, the conversation flowed just as if no time had passed.  Miss E danced, took a walk with my aunt, met many of these family members for the first time (including her newly wed aunt and uncle), and stayed up way past her bedtime.  Then we woke up at 4:00 am in order to walk to the airport (from our hotel across the street) to get ready to go home.  She slept through most of the plane rides on the way home, and she wasn't too messed up to sleep all night when we got home.

Yesterday, I worked on finishing my new Hydroflask cover, with improvements from the old one I made two years ago.  Here are the before and after pics.  I hand felted it for 1 hour and 15 min, and then I decided to finish it in the washer. 

Lastly, my birthday was last week.  We generally bring our own treats at work, unless you organize some sort of exchange with a coworker.  I did make treats for one of my coworkers in April, and she surprised me with bagels, but I wanted to bring my own treats too.  I had just stumbled upon a new cookie technique: cookie mashups.  I made choco-choco-peanut butter and snickersnaps.  Basically, they are 1/2 one type of dough and 1/2 another type of dough.  Everyone at work wanted the recipe, and they wanted to know if I had made two snakes, rolled together and sliced.  Although the result is impressive and the idea is genius, it's way more simple than you might imagine.  I used bagged cookie mixes, except for the ginger snap mix that I made from scratch, and then I balled together a scoop of each dough before baking.  

Well, consider yourself caught up.  Check back soon, as I have a goal to make it to Post #200 soon. -吴碧芙

Foreground: snickersnap, background: choco-choco-peanut butter

Tiny Feet

A baby girl is expected to arrive in April 2014!

-吴碧芙

Meet Harvey

Harvey

We decided to get another bird.  So Harvey has been with us for 1 week. He's originally from Sioux City, Iowa, and he enjoys eating, peeping, and sitting still.  He is 4.5 inches tall (excluding crest) and 11 inches long (including tail).  He doesn't mind being touched or pet, and he's not a biter.  If he wants you to stop petting, he gives you a slow-motion, gentle nibble.

-吴碧芙

War on Bugs

We have holes in our basil, zucchini leaves, and the marigolds were killed off.  I replaced the marigolds with zinia.  Now the zinia are being eaten, too.  A few days ago, I sprinkled cayenne pepper on the basil, to no avail.  I saw the earwigs last night when I went out with my flashlight.  I'm ready to get these creeps!

The first items on the list are to be sprinkled or sprayed directly on the plants.  Although, Sevin says it can be used on vegetables, I don't put anything on my vegetables that has so many warnings on it, so Sevin is going only on the zinias.  The homemade spray is using this recipe that I found online after a helpful neighborhood garden store manager told me about it.  Apparently, dish soap kills bugs.  Here is the recipe, since it took me so long to find it:
Concentrate:
1/2 Tbsp. Dawn liquid dish soap
1/2 c. oil (the cheap stuff)
Mix together:
4 tsp. of concentrate
1 pint water
The directions say to spray leaves and undersides of leaves.  Also, it's best to spray on cooler days (< 85 degrees).

Non-organic poison powder

Homemade bug spray

The other strategy is to make some traps.  The earwigs will come for the beer or tuna juice (yum!) and will stay because the oil will trap and drown them.  A video from an entomologist shows exactly how to do this and how it works.

Beer

Earwig death trap

-吴碧芙

Ka-Blamo!

I swear this wasn't there yesterday!

Roscoe's Garden

We planted a little perennial garden around Roscoe's final resting place.  I chose flowers that are as bright and flamboyant as Roscoe was and, hopefully, hearty enough to bloom again for years to come.  So far I have planted four different flowers:

Echinacea (Coneflower) Generic "Mix" but this one is red

The tag says "Shasta Daisy" but hmm... 

Gaillardia (Blanket Flower) "Arizona Apricot"

Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan) "Moreno"

In memorium

Roscoe, appox. 2001 - 2013

Honeymoon

We just got back from our big trip to NYC, New York state, and New Jersey.  

Sunday was the first day, in which we went to the City for a walking tour of the Lower East side, complete with noshes (such as pickles, halva, and fried plantains...to name a few).  We found dinner at a little place called Eatery, and then we went to see Avenue Q, which was light-hearted and hilarious. Most salient feature of the show: Bad Idea Bears, whom I quote: "You need to do something for you. Buy some beer! Yeah, buy some beer!"...and..."Why don't you play a drinking game? They are a recipe for fun."

Monday: We went to Central Park and generally walked around the City.  We also had high tea at the Russian Tea Room, which was a lot of fun and kind of over-the-top.  Our server had a delightful Russian accent, and we enjoyed a wide array of finger sandwiches and pastries...the best scones we had ever had.  We also walked on the Highline and had pizza from a restaurant with a coal-fired oven for dinner.

Monday: Central Park

Monday: Dan in Central Park

Monday: High Tea at the Russian Tea Room

Tuesday: We went into the City for lunch at a ramen cafe and shopped around Soho before going to our cooking class entitled "Vegetarian Dinners for Everyone."  We learned to make four dishes: Ratatouille, Moroccan tagine with couscous, Farro with roasted vegetables and goat cheese, and Smoked black bean and butternut squash soup.  We were introduced and reminded of some good ingredients to use at home, smoked paprika, fancy sea salt flakes, golden beets, and fennel.  We also learned some useful techniques to use at home.

Tuesday: Lunch in Brooklyn at Chuko Ramen (cra-mazing Brussels sprouts appetizer plate)

Wednesday: The plan was to go to a Chinese hot pot restaurant in Flushing Queens for lunch.  I should mention at this point that I had motion sickness for most of the trip.  I got it on the plane, the bus, the subway, and the taxi.  By Wednesday, I was feeling sick just thinking about taking the bus, but I really wanted the hot pot.  Enter Aunt and Uncle Bad Idea Bears, whom I quote: "Borrow our car...Driving to Flushing is so easy...Just take the Cross Bronx Expressway, and then you'll be there...It would be a great adventure...You don't want to be on the bus for 1.5 hours, do you?...Besides, it would be so much fun to drive...YAAAY!"  

So I drove and Dan navigated to the hot pot restaurant in Flushing.

Wednesday: Hot Pot

Thursday: We borrowed the car again to go upstate to Woodstock and Rhinebeck.  We had pizza for lunch in Woodstock.  The weather was beautiful, and we just enjoyed walking around the area.

Friday:  We visited the Roosevelts in Hyde Park.  We started at Eleanor's cottage and went to the FDR presidential library in the afternoon.  We could not get reservations online for the CIA before the trip, so Dan called in the morning.  Somehow he was able to get a reservation for the last table for lunch service.

Friday: Eleanor Roosevelt's cottage at Val-Kill

Friday: Reserved the last table for lunch at the CIA (whole wheat crepes with quinoa chili filling)

After lunch we went to tour the FDR estate and presidential library.  The presidential library is under construction, so we could not see FDR's wheelchair or Eleanor's knitting needles, or any other possessions or memorabilia.  Our tickets will be honored for free admission in the future, but I'm still disappointed that I didn't get to see the knitting needles on this trip.

Friday afternoon: FDR presidential library and grave sites of FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt.

-吴碧芙