@IamAndy
@IamAndy
On this New Year's Day morning, I received a surprise gift with a message delivered by the platform. I'm not sure whether to be happy or upset. However, the presence of a negative sign in the message raises some concerns in my mind. I would appreciate your thoughts on my situation. Happy New Year 2022!
@IamAndy
Jasmine Flowering Bud - Even though we don't have a New Year's Eve celebration, I am quite busy welcoming our relatives and friends to come over to visit me and my parents for the holiday. So it appears that my parents' home has been having a party every day since Christmas. When I have some free time, I like to sneak over to my mom's garden to see the Jasmine Flowering Buds that are about to bloom. How did you spend your first Sunday of the year 2022?
@IamAndy
Sedum Nussbaumerianum has many common names, including Golden Sedum, Sedum Adolphii, Coppertone Sedum, Stonecrop, and many more. This is Sedum Nussbaumerianum, which my mom planted on the balcony in partial shade to maintain the color mix of orange and green. Personally, I like how its bright orange or copper color stands out when it is exposed to heat, little water, and being stressed by full sun. This succulent plant works well as a ground cover outdoor or in a rock…
@IamAndy
Fire Flash - I've had a busy day since this morning because I need to take my dad and mom to see some of their friends. When I got home, I found this Fire Flash Plant in my mom's garden near the car parking area. Fire Flash is also known as Sierra Leone Lily, Orange Spider Plant, Chlorophytum orchidastrum, Fire Glory, Mandarin Plant, and other names. Fire Flash is a stunning foliage plant with broad green foliage and vibrant orange-hued petioles and leaf midribs. But it's…
@IamAndy
The beauty of succulent plants has always fascinated and entertained me. They don't have flowers in some varieties, but the leaves form a rosette shape and can change color depending on the heat and sunlight. My mom planted Graptopetum in a pot near a variety of cactus. This Graptopetalum has the full scientific name "Graptopetalum paraguayense f. variegata" and the common name "Variegata Ghost Plant or Ghost Plant" in short. This lovely succulent grows in rosettes of fleshy…
@IamAndy
After they retired, my dad and mom spent their time in the garden. My dad will maintain any hardscape work, whereas my mom will grow the plants, fruit trees, trees, shrubs, flowers, and others. Furthermore, they have always been looking for new plants and flowers to add to their garden collection, which always impressed and amazed me every time I visited them. Rhipsalis Paradoxa is an exotic and one-of-a-kind cactus that my mom has in her collection. This evergreen cascading…
@IamAndy
In my garden, I have a large number of Coleus Plants in a variety of shades and colors. But I also enjoy looking for new colors and varieties to add to my garden collection. My mom planted this Coleus Plant in her garden; I also have this variety, but my mom's Coleus Plant is more showy and has a darker tone color than mine. Later, I realized that my mom had placed her Coleus Plant in a shaded area with less water in order to keep those Coleus stressed and produce a darker…
@IamAndy
In the afternoon, I was cleaning and brushing the hair of my three cats. My black cat "Lek" was staring at me, and his sad eyes made me miss my other black cat "Mom Mam" so much. Some may think I'm insane for driving 12 hours with my three cats to visit my parents. But my cats are so much a part of my family and my young sons that I can't leave them at home alone. Do you think I'm insane? I wish you a beautiful Caturday.
@IamAndy
I am overjoyed to be able to spend time with my dad and mom and celebrate the New Year with them. But, in the last two days, I've been devastated by the death of a close relative from cancer. I spent my afternoon at my mom's garden enjoying the variegated hibiscus before heading out to the funeral in the evening. With its burgundy, red, pink, green, and white foliage, Variegated Hibiscus helps me to peace my mind. This Variegated Hibiscus shrub is full of flowering buds that…
@IamAndy
Billbergia - I'm still not in the mood to do much of anything. But I'm trying to enjoy my mom's garden in the hopes that the beautiful plants and flowers will help me relax. I spent my late afternoon in my mom's garden enjoying the beautiful pink flower of Billbergia before going to my relative's funeral in the evening. Billbergia is a flowering plant in the Bromeliad family. This Bromeliad has colorful foliage as well as flowers or bracts that form leaflike clusters beneath…
@IamAndy
Christmas Cactus - My mom asked me to join her on a morning walk through her garden to see the flowering bud of a cactus that she had recently propagated. The flowering bud of the Christmas Cactus surprises me because the flowering bud is growing at the end tipping of its stem and will take 10 -12 weeks to bloom. The Christmas Cactus flower bloom will bring colorful tubular flowers in pink or lilac colors that will last for a long time. These cacti's common names generally…
@IamAndy
Tradescantia Zebrina - As the sunlight direction changed during the winter, I assisted my mom in relocating some plants and flowers to a shady area. This young Tradescantia Zebrina is one of the plants that gets sunburned on its leaves. Tradescantia Zebrina is one of my favorite plants because of its zebra-patterned leaves. The upper leaf surface will be purple new growth and green older growth parallel to the central axis, with two broad silver-colored stripes on the outer…
@IamAndy
Dracaena Reflexa - As an ornamental plant, I believe that plants with beautiful foliage are always great for adding beauty to our gardens or refreshing the room. My mom has a large collection of Dracaenas that she propagates and nurseries in her garden. Dracaena Reflexa, also known as Song of India, is one of my favorite Dracaena plants. Its whorls of yellow-banded green leaves spiral upright and can grow up to 2-5 meters tall. Furthermore, the upright rosettes of colorful…
@IamAndy
I didn't do much for this Friday; I just spent my early morning enjoying my mom's garden. The White Adenium caught my attention because the flower is not pure white but has a pink tint to it. Since the New Year, I've been acutely aware of my advancing age. I began to experience joint pain and a finger trigger. Since last week, whenever the temperature drops in the early morning, I have been unable to move my fingers freely because they have been locked. It will take a few…
@IamAndy
My Caturday was spent cleaning and brushing the hair of my three cats. They appear to be adapting well to their new surroundings and are becoming acquainted with my parents' home. I don't crate them, but instead keep them in a bigger room. Ginger and Lek are in the same room, while my big boy "Tiger" is in a different room because he doesn't get along with Lek. I took this photo of my little boy "Ginger" while he was looking at me while I was cleaning Lek. When I saw…
@IamAndy
I'm not sure if it's winter or summer where I am because the weather is sunny and hot, with an average temperature of 32 degrees and a low of 25 degrees at night. As a result of climate change and global warming, it appears that the winter season will become shorter each year. I don't go out or do anything outside, and I only spend my Sunday with my parents. This morning, I was able to enjoy the beautiful bloom of a Christmas Cactus, which will take 10-12 weeks to flower. I…
@IamAndy
I can't recall the last time I bought lime or lemon for cooking at home. It was probably ten years ago because I can grow my own lime at home. There are plenty of lime fruits from lime trees around my parents' house as well. This morning, I picked some lime fruits to put in my hot warm water, which is my go-to morning drink for boosting blood circulation. This beautiful lime flower drew my attention and is quite lovely. I simply love the white to light yellow petals with…
@IamAndy
I'm not sure what's wrong with me, but I've been extremely lazy for the past two days. I don't want to do anything and just want to be still. In the afternoon, I only go to the garden with my mom to see her young Caladium, which has curling leaves and will soon open into heart-shaped leaves with amazing color combinations of white, pink, red, and green. Have a wonderful Tuesday, and good night to everyone.
@IamAndy
I'm still lazy, but I'm trying to stay active as much as possible. My mom noticed my laziness and asked me to assist her in transplanting the Garden Croton that she had propagated in plastic bags to an open space in the garden. This garden Croton has a lot more yellow and green leaves. My mom instructed me to plant the Garden Croton and leave some space for her to add other plants later or to let them grow to full size, which will most likely add a vibrant color of yellow…
@IamAndy
My laziness persists, but I am making an effort to be productive by assisting my mom in her garden since late morning. We had afternoon tea with our own cultivated banana from my mother's garden for an afternoon break. It was a simple afternoon tea, but it was a beautiful afternoon for me, mom, and dad to enjoy. I went out to get some fresh limes to slice and add to my Earl Grey Tea, and I discovered a vast number of Lime Flowering Buds in my mom's garden. Those tiny Lime…
@IamAndy
Since last night, there has been light rain, which will continue until late afternoon. So my mom and I don't work in the garden and instead spend our time talking about our lives. I proposed to my dad and mom that they stay with me a long time ago, but they refused. It was a big argument between us, but I later learned that they prefer to stay connected with their relatives and friends in their hometown. So I'll spend them more visits every 3-4 months and enjoy more time…
@IamAndy
Since last night, plants and trees in my mom's garden have been enjoying the rain. The rain has stopped for a few hours, but it is now pouring again. When the rain stopped, I took the chance to see the beautiful flowering of a Yellow Cotton Tree to the south of my parents' house. The scientific name for this Yellow Cotton Tree is Cochlospermum Regium, and it originated in the tropical savannas of South Africa before being introduced to my country 50 years ago. It's a…
@IamAndy
It's possible that the Global Warming Crisis is bringing the winter with heavy rain and then abruptly changing the temperature to a hot sunny day. I'm taking it easy on Sunday because it has been raining heavily since last night and has finally stopped in the middle of the day. I went for a quick walk with my dad to check the irrigation for any possibility of flooding. I found the flowers of a Yellow Cotton Tree that had fallen to the ground. Yellow Cotton Flower petals are…
@IamAndy
This Monday has been extremely productive for me. There was no rain, but there was less sunlight. So I decided to spend my day transplanting 250 Garden Croton plants that my mom had propagated in plastic bags to the ground in a vacant area of my mom's garden. Those 250 plants exhausted me, but I am so proud that I finally finished them. I'll catch up with you later and say good night to all.
@IamAndy
Tuesday is a busy day for me because I need to make several phone calls and video calls to my assistant to ensure that everything at my home and property is in order. I've been staying with my parents for a month and will most likely stay for longer than a week. In the afternoon, I went for a walk with my dad to see where he would build a new property wall. However, I believe that I would prefer to leave it as is because the existing property wall is in good condition.…
@IamAndy
I believe this year's winter will be shorter than last year's. During the day, it is a bright sunny day with a high of around 35 degrees. I don't go outside or do anything in the garden; instead, I spend my time at home doing my works and chatting with my parents over afternoon tea. I discovered the white Zinnia flower that my mom had moved from her bedroom balcony to the living room. Even though this off white Zinnia flower will only last for another 2-3 days, its beauty…
@IamAndy
On Saturday, the ashes and bones of my deceased younger brother will be moved to our Charnel house, where the ashes and bones of our deceased ancestors were gathered. This is another major reason I paid a visit to my dad and mom at this time. As a result, my parents and I will no longer be concerned about this matter. I went to see some trees that my late younger brother and I planted together. This lovely Pink Bougainvillea is also one of the plants we planted when we were…
@IamAndy
It's a busy Friday for me as I prepare to move my deceased younger brother's ashes and bones to our Charnel house in accordance with our religious beliefs. I'm not sure what I'm feeling right now, but my eyes are welling up with tears. This gorgeous Bougainvillea in pink and red at my mom's garden is pretty unique and has really helped me to concentrate and move on. It is a fact of life that all living things will die. And it can be difficult to face at times. I hope…
@IamAndy
I've been exhausted and stressed out since early this morning because today is the day to move my deceased brother's ashes and bone to our family Charnel house. There were many guests from various zones of Covid-19 measurement who came to participate in the ceremony, but they had to have a certified negative ATK Test or PCR Test for the previous 72 hours. For a week, the small town where my parents live has seen an increase in new cases of more than 50 per day. I feel like I…
@IamAndy
Actually, I don't want to travel, but it's necessary today because I need to make merit for my grandfather and grandmother in their hometown, which is about 30 minutes away from my parents' house. My most recent visit was 20 years ago. On the way back home, I asked my dad to take me to his family silk farm, where silkworms are raised to produce silk. I'm not interested in silkworms, but I do need to see a mulberry field. There are many mulberry fruits now, but the mulberry…
@IamAndy
It seems that I will need to extend my stay with my parents a little longer in order to be with them for their Covid-19 Vaccination booster shot. The weather is deteriorating, and it is no longer winter. I only enjoy the beautiful flowers in my mother's garden in the evening to avoid the heat of the sun. Bougainvilleas of various colors are in full bloom around the house, as they prefer bright sunlight. On this Monday, I wish you all a lovely day with the pink Bougainvillea…