"This baby Cape porcupine was born eight weeks ago at the Naples Zoo weighing just 1 lb, but since then the prickly critter has grown to seven times her birth weight! Like all porcupines, at birth the little girl's quills were soft like hair but began to harden almost immediately."
- Rachel Lea Fox
via Bookmarklet
San Juan's..... Baker.... Sea Planes.... Nice day out....
- ZoneDancer
Hey now that you mention it, thats FSX's default start airport. I've flown out of there a few times :)
- Roberto Bonini
Nice ZoneDancer! 4th of July on San Juan island is my favorite!
- Rachel Lea Fox
via iPhone
Happy Birthday Kevin!!! Yes I'm Early - My Boy Is a 4th of July Baby, which means everyone, including us is busy so he often misses out on birthday wishes on his birthday, so I'm starting early, before everyone goes away!! Happy Birthday Sweetie!!
I'm going to wait until tomorrow and then edit this comment to say "Happy Birthday" (in REAL TIME)
- Stephen Mack
Happy Birthday Kevin! Hope you have a blast on your birthday! And Rachel, I think it's OK to refer to it as a birthday week. That's what I do. I milk it. Why limit it to one day?
- Trish Haley
Trish speaks the truth. Week of birthday is a longstanding tradition in my family.
- FFing Enigma (aka Tina)
Trish and Tina! I totally do too, just don't usually subject everyone to it! But for Kevin I didn't think anyone would mind!
- Rachel Lea Fox
via iPhone
"Meet the Calgary Zoo's four newest little swift fox cubs born to father Beren and mother Foxy Cleopatra (yeah, you read that right) on April 22nd. Swift foxes were hunted to extinction within Canada in the 1930s but have slowly recovered from isolated populations in the United States with the help of reintroduction efforts. Today swift foxes are threatened by habitat destruction and fragmentation from natural resource exploitation in their remote prairie homelands."
- Rachel Lea Fox
via Bookmarklet
Kevin says: "Pokey people in the car pool lane piss me off! Don't be a pokey pooler!"
Anyone how to best trim a zucchini plant? Do I trim the leaf at the base of the stem or just take the leaf off at the top of the stem? Will trimming at the base of the stem leave a big hole where the water and nutrients will leak out? experience anyone?
because I got the bright idea to plant a zucchini in my aerogarden, and I have extended the arm to full height and the leaves are still reaching for it and also blocking their own flowers below from getting enough light I think.
- Rachel Lea Fox
Well, don't quote me but I'm not all that sure that the actual flowers need the direct light. They'll get their energy from the leaves, and chances are you'll be hand pollinating if it's not self fertile anyways.
- FFing Enigma (aka Tina)
Yeah, I'm supposed to hand pollinate. It just seems like the flowers should have opened by now. My outside one seemed like they opened sooner, but then again, that one isn't on my kitchen counter where I watch it all the time.
- Rachel Lea Fox
Perhaps there's not quite enough airflow? Rambly plants get staking both to prevent breakage and to encourage airflow. Maybe if you propped up some of the longer stems and put a fan in the general area to increase the airflow, that would help.
- FFing Enigma (aka Tina)
I was under the impression that zucchini flowers grow underneath the leaves to help protect the fruit that's produced behind the females? I know I've never seen my flowers get real direct sunlight. I've also never tried to grow zucchini indoors. Isn't that huge?
- Jered Hofker
here are photos of my indoor zucchini experiment. yes that is a pepper plant beside it. I just lifted the arm with the light today, this now its highest height. I lifted it a notch yesterday and today it was touching the lights again. I expect it to have grown to the lights by tomorrow again. http://friendfeed.com/phoenix...
- Rachel Lea Fox
Tina, I can open the window behind them for the afternoon. Do you think that would help? Jered, I do not claim to be good at this, I didn't totally think it through, I just wanted more zucchini and in the aerogarden "seemed" like a good plan.
- Rachel Lea Fox
That is a really small zucchini plant, Rachel. Not sure about growing them indoors, but in general they would get *much* larger than that (about 3-4 ft in diameter all around). If you trim it, there's a chance you won't have future flowering/fruiting. You could try trimming back one or two stems (say, those closest to the pepper) and seeing how they fair.
- FFing Enigma (aka Tina)
personally, i've found the best solutions is to google rather than ask communities. there are SO many gardening forums out there you'll be more likely to find the "right" answer...
- Jeremy Toeman
Ooh, yikes. Not sure I'd wanna trim that back much. To me it looks like that guy isn't big enough to flower yet.
- Jered Hofker
He is a little over 2 feet from the base to to top of the tallest leaves.
- Rachel Lea Fox
Jeremy, I've been doing that too, there just tends to be so much information on many of the gardening forums that I get lost and questions don't always get answered very fast so I thought I would ask here too.
- Rachel Lea Fox
So maybe I will just leave it alone or trim just one leaf and see how it goes. It is an experiment anyway, if it doesn't work, then it doesn't work. Tina, if I trim one leaf would you do it near the top, middle or bottom?
- Rachel Lea Fox
Is the aerogarden its only light source? I know next to nothing about aerogardens, but you may be right -- that doesn't look like a lot of light. The leaves all look like they're straining to catch more of it and blocking other leaves as a consequence. Maybe transplant to a 5-gal bucket and set it out in the sun? ;-)
- Jered Hofker
Jared, it gets 18 hours of high intensity light from the areogarden and is hydroponic with water aeration underneath. I'm not sure if I could get it out as all the roots are rather tangled down in the water. It is definitely getting enough light, the spread is just not very wide. so it just can't go very wide like it normally would. I shouldn't have planted the pepper too, then it could have had larger light space. :( I'm still learning.
- Rachel Lea Fox
Yeah, that could be tricky! That being the case, maybe trimming is in order to get more coverage? So, uhh, now I've arrived at the point you were at when you asked the question. D= I know I (accidentally) broke off stems on my zucchini last year and they still did great. Also, have you considered just trimming back the leaf, rather than the whole stem? Could be a better way to go.
- Jered Hofker
Jered, I was wondering if taking just the leaf would be okay, I think that is what I would rather do, I'm just not sure if that is the right way to trim. It is encouraging to hear that you broke some leaves and it was fine. Thanks!
- Rachel Lea Fox
Something you could try, Rachel, is cutting some of the leaves in half horizontally. This is pretty common when transplanting: it leaves some leaf area to feed the plant but less leaf area to hog the resulting food. I would be leery of taking the growing tips from the stems, as that would affect the future flowering and fruiting of the plant.
- FFing Enigma (aka Tina)
My Gardens/Gnome Sanctuary - Works in Progress - iPhone Photos
I took these photos with my iPhone to send to my mom because she wanted to see. Hopefully I will take better photos soon, but I thought since I had all of these I would share. Generally my black thumb kills things so I've been working hard to try and make all of these work! So far so goodish...
- Rachel Lea Fox
btw, Indiana is not supposed to be in the upstairs garden room (in those two photos with the tomato plant). I must have left the door unlocked and she pushed her way in and then got caught.
- Rachel Lea Fox
Since I'm in a garden mood, I'm bumping photos of my (mostly) outdoor garden. And the gnomes, don't forget the gnomes!
- Rachel Lea Fox
oh we are discussing my naivety in thinking I could let a zucchini grow inside at the moment on the tread above. this may not have been such a good idea, but the experiment will go on! :)
- Rachel Lea Fox
I'm sorry ya'll, I had to post this. I was working in my office and earlier and I was going back and forth between my laptop in the game room and my desktop in my office, transferring some files, so my laptop got left open on the couch. A moment ago I started hearing this "plink, plink plink" of the volume going up on my laptop, so I walk out into the game room and suddenly a zoey head pops out from behind the laptop screen and then there is a blur of kitten that shoots off in the other direction. Above is what Zoey was working on while also turning up the volume, all i had to do was hit post. Sorry if this is funny only to me, but you should have seen the surprised look on her face when she peeked out from behind the laptop. I wish I had a camera installed in my head.
- Rachel Lea Fox
I find it funny too. Someone suggested I make a twitter account for my cats, so I did. One of them likes to jump on my desk every time I am there, but I have yet to get him to make his own post using his own two paws.
- Ragani Harris
Thanks Ragani, I'm glad I'm not the only one. And awesome on the cats twitter account, I've seen that cats are very popular on twitter, especially sockington I think is his name. I personally don't do twitter, but I wonder if my foster kittens should, I would if it would find them homes?
- Rachel Lea Fox
(21 photos of adorable cuteness) "Name: Zoey Age: About 7 weeks young. Hobbies: cuddling with people as much as I can, learning new things (most things are new to me), perfecting being a kitten. Likes: The crack between the arm of the couch and someone's leg, ribbons on sticks, watching the big kitties. Dislikes: The kitties that used to pick on me and make me scared, wide open spaces, loud noises (but I'm getting better about the noises). Zoey comes from a litter of 5 where the larger kittens picked on her and made her rather afraid of everything. When she came to us she was very timid and didn't even know how to play, now she is a pro!! She is still timid about some things, but after just over a week she is blossoming and will be a great little lap kitty for someone. She will likely do best if there are not dogs or kids (at least until she has grown up a little and come out of her shell more), but she is already adapting to other cats and with some patience she will be a true love bug for some household!!"
- Rachel Lea Fox
via Bookmarklet
The second shot above got added in because this kitten can't stop being cute and she did that after I had already finished the post. She did not mind cuddling up to me while I finished adding in the new photo. She really didn't want m to go to bed last night.
- Rachel Lea Fox
I love the "Gaussian Cat" shot of Zoey at play -- there's so much movement in the frame, but it is unmistakably a kitty.
- Jennifer Dittrich
Jennifer, that was a shot that I almost deleted straight off the camera but am really glad that I didn't. I also love that one.
- Rachel Lea Fox
Zoey has been exploring the game room like crazy today and trilling the entire time. Its very funny because she has never been a very vocal cat or into exploring much. Love watching her discover new things about herself!
- Rachel Lea Fox
She's so sweet! If I could take in another cat...(well, and if Simon wasn't such a thug)
- vicster
vicster, she is sweet. i have known kittens who could take on a thug of a cat, that isn't Zoey though you are right. She is just a sweet little flower with a little spunk that is just starting to come out.
- Rachel Lea Fox
You're killing me. I think my cats can read my mind, because they are both giving me filthy "don't even think about it, beee-yotch" looks.
- Kate Schmidt
Kate, I'm just getting started. I'm hoping to have 2 or even 3 kittens in a week or so!! Kitten season seems to have picked up finally, so I shouldn't have a problem! First though, must find home for Zoey, she is such a lover. She had a grand time tonight as Athena came over to play with her and pet her. Show her some love and she will love you right back.
- Rachel Lea Fox
I love salmon too! There's a place across the street from my office that has a nice big fresh salmon at their salad bar, so I get a big hunk of that on my salad. So yummy!
- vicster
Michael, oddly lox is not my favorite form of salmon, too thin I think. Not really sure. Todd, I will happily take yours!! vicster, that sounds awesome!! Do you work in the bay area? if so what is the name of the restaurant?
- Rachel Lea Fox
Oh and fresh local grown apricots ain't so bad either! :)
- Rachel Lea Fox
Now I want salmon, it's only 2 AM. I should go for it, right?!
- Aaron Hood
Aaron, if you are hungry, what better thing could you eat, even at 2am, than Salmon?!
- Rachel Lea Fox
Anne, I did ceder plank salmon on the grill. As you said, Wonderful!
- Rachel Lea Fox
While I love salmon as well, you could substitute the word Tuna in there and that would be me. I simply can't get enough. I am always on the lookout for the perfect tuna sandwich at lunch spots. I hope we don't get mercury poisoning. :p
- Josh Haley
Rachel, we've never tried the cedar planks although I've seen them in the stores. Easy? Tasty?
- Anne Bouey
"Looking for the perfect birthday cake for an Applephile? You couldn't go too far wrong with a cake like this cake from April Julian. No screen polishing needed here."
- Rachel Lea Fox
via Bookmarklet
OMG that is awesome!!!!! I wonder which app is most tasty?! :P
- Susan Beebe
I have a friend in Campbell in need of a kitten to supplant a recently passed elder cat. Is there an agency I can direct her at for Zoey?
- Neal Krummell
Neal, Zoey will be through the Palo Alto Animal Services (who services stray animals for Mountain View, Palo Alto, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills - but anyone can adopt) http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/depts.... I believe she will be up for adoption next week, but if your friend is interested in her I can give you more precise information as we get closer. Ideally,...
more...
- Rachel Lea Fox
Zoey says: This morning in kitten school I learned to pounce, started working on playing in small open areas and I actually took a chance and snuck up on Miss Indiana and swatted at her tail. She didn't seem happy, but Rachel and Kevin loved it. Maybe I'll try it again soon...
Stephen, this is with my iphone even. I think it is using the macro function on the phone. It's from this set of iphone shots I took yesterday: http://friendfeed.com/phoenix...
- Rachel Lea Fox
oh boy I see another spoiled kitty! (I have three) She's precious :)
- BEX Happy Long Weekend
Ah, thanks Rachel, I missed that post from yesterday. All five pics do look good. (How many total did you take to select those 5-best?)
- Stephen Mack
BEX, little zoey is our foster kitten, spoiled kitty in training for someone else's home. She is very timid and needs lots of training as her rough life beginning has set her back a little. but she is doing great and loving lap cat life. We have two very spoiled kitties of our own and then the random slew of kittens that pass through. In my next life I want to be a spoiled house cat - really really spoiled like mine are!!
- Rachel Lea Fox
Stephen, It looks like I had take about 27 at the time that I shared those ones, plus a few of Indiana. A few had some motion blur that I didn't like but when I was posting I was disappointed that I couldn't share more than 5, I really wanted to share 9.
- Rachel Lea Fox
Adorable. So present in the eyes. Great shot!
- Fossil Huntress
I get so excited about zoey doing the littlest things: like instigating her own playing or getting off the couch to go to her condo with her food and litter to eat or whatever and then coming back to the couch and not hiding in her bed, or being interested in what the big kitties are doing rather than just cowering. She is really a very different kitten than she was when she got here. She still has a long way to go, but she is making progress!
- Rachel Lea Fox
Anyone in the bay area, Zoey will be up for adoption, next week most likely (she is our foster kitten). She is looking for a home with no kids (at least for a year or so) and no dogs. Other cats will take adjustment but will be fine.
- Rachel Lea Fox
I've thought it would be great to be foster mom to cats or dogs, but I would seriously not be able to resist keeping every single one.
- Jannifer Stoddard
Jannifer, the only way to resist is know that if you keep them all, that you can't keep fostering. And then how do you get all the adorable kitteny goodness?
- Rachel Lea Fox
Aaaawww how true! You must be very strong! I would cry and cry and cry if I had to give one up!
- Jannifer Stoddard
Oh I cry every single time. But it's worth it. I love having them all so much, when I don't have them I'm longing for them. And I know they are off to fabulous new homes because we helped them.
- Rachel Lea Fox
"So, as any good steampunk devote, I started out by purchasing some goggles. I got a pair I love (thanks eBay!), but something occurred to me: being basically blind without my glasses, I could never wear them on my eyes. If they're just going to be hanging out on my forehead, why not spice them up some. Solution: LEDs. I've more or less simply mounted a throwie in each eye cup."
- Rachel Lea Fox
via Bookmarklet
"The Audubon Zoo in New Orleans welcomed an endangered Sumatran Orangutan, Menari, on June 10th. These photos taken last week give us a sneak peek of the baby in advance of his public debut. Native and endemic to Sumatra, Sumatran Orangutans are smaller and in fact more rare than Bornean Orangutans."
- Rachel Lea Fox
via Bookmarklet
"Two fluffy Canadian Lynx kittens were welcomed at the Northeastern Wisconsin Zoo last week as part of the AZA's Population Management Plan for the species which called for additional genetic diversity in the zoo population. Lucky visitors to the NEW Zoo can see the kittens between noon and 3pm daily through a viewing window at the animal hospital. For those of you not in the area, enjoy the video at the bottom."
- Rachel Lea Fox
via Bookmarklet
Jennifer, totally!! There is a short video interview with the zookeeper on the page. Not super great, but the kittens are playing with her hands and being cute! I wish it was more focused on the kittens and less focused on the zookeeper and reporter.
- Rachel Lea Fox
Number one reason to pursue a zoology degree, hand feeding fluffball baby kittehs.
- Heather
Exactly Heather! Sometimes I wish I had. I'm planning to volunteer at the zoo as soon as I'm able to make one of their intro sessions.
- Rachel Lea Fox
"Over the weekend, appoximately 190,000 people made their way to Worthy Farm in western England to attend the 2009 Glastonbury Festival. Attendees came to see performances at what is billed as "Europe's largest open-air music festival" on many stages over four days - headliners included Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, and a reunited Blur. Rainy weather did little to dampen the mood, as attendees enjoyed themselves in tent cities, concert performances, dance tents, and the surrounding countryside of Somerset, England. Collected here are a handful of images from this year's festival. (33 photos total)"
- Rachel Lea Fox
via Bookmarklet