Paul's Retired

Nancy and I decided a few months ago to move out of Florida. August was beastly hot and not a drop of rain. Florida government has moved somewhere to the right of Atilla the Hun. Members of my family feel unwelcome in FL due to extremist Culture Wars.

Ergo, we have been looking for a new location closer to my brother and to our three kids and their families.

After seeing some 30 houses in the Raleigh, Durham, and Wake Forest areas, we have set our sites on a house in Raleigh. Lots of nonsense paperwork, too many middlemen, a few kinks, but looks OK so far. Here’s a pic.

The screened porch in back

Room for Nancy’s studio, the piano, workspace for my “shop,” a nice Primary bedroom, open yard to garden and landscape, space for a greenhouse to keep my orchids, even a home theater.

CONTACT: Email us at [email protected]

August 8, 2024

Well, we have settled in, here in Raleigh. I have still not put up my greenhouse, but we have fenced to yard and installed a new lawn. Added four raised bed planters for flowers and veggies.

January 8, 2023

I just repotted a small Phalaenopsis that had grown out of its pot. With some judicious trimming of the parts under the potting medium, I repotted it in the same pot, with new medium, and it should do well. Look here for pics of the process.

On July 5th 2022, we flew to Vancouver Canada to meet our Alaska Inner Passage Cruise.

On September 5th 2022, we flew to France for the trip of a lifetime. Six days in Paris, two days in Chateau De La Bourdaisiere, a week cycling and kayaking in the Loire Valley, and two days at Versailles.

6/13/2022

New photo of recent cuttings Kalanchoe Laxiflora and a crop of baby plants

Our Dendrobium Pumpkin Patch blooms.

An experiment with Haworthia plants.

6/7/2022

New pic of my Propeller plant getting ready to bloom (Succulents)

New pic of awakening Desert Rose after a “bonsai” pruning (Caudiform (fat stem) plants)

A picture of Rayla at the beach ( Welcome Rayla Felicity )

My first Grandchild, born to Melissa and Stefanie

Now almost three

Nancy and I set a trip to visit her brother Bob and his family. The drive was long, so we broke it up with a three day visit to my friends Gary and Edith, just outside of Atlanta.

In Atlanta, we visited the Booth Museum of Western Art ( https://boothmuseum.org/ ) and a beautiful Botanical Garden ( https://atlantabg.org/ ) in Piedmont Park.

We stopped in Chattanooga, a cute little town over the Tennessee River Gorge, with an Art Museum (we did not visit) and an Aquarium (also, we did not visit).

In Nashville, we visited the Grand Ole Opry, the Cheekwood Estate and Gardens and Bob took us horseback riding.

Nashville’s Broadway seemed like Bourbon Street in New Orleans – honkytonks with alcohol and live music starting at opening, and Western wear stores. Nancy bought a pair of Cowgirl boots.

Pictures are on the Travel page.

The Desert Rose is a caudiform

Repotting a Desert Rose

Nancy and I are going to visit her brother in Nashville and she wanted to bring a nice plant as a gift. I repotted one of my Desert Rose plants – here’s the process.

Soil: The Internet recommendation for Adenium potting soil is 1/2 garden soil and 1/2 sand. I used Coconut fiber (coir) for soil, Perlite, and sand. Coir comes as compressed, dry chunks and you just add water. The perlite lightens the soil and the pot. For sand, here in Florida, my outside garden beds are mostly sand, so I just grabbed some.

Pots should ALWAYS have drainage holes, so I threw some rocks into the pot.

If the plant had been in its old pot for a year or more, I might have had to trim away some roots, but as this is a cosmetic pot upgrade. New soil means add fertilizer. I use Osmocote 14-14-14, a slow release, balanced fertilizer that will not burn young roots. I also add a tablespoon of bone meal to boost the Phosphates. Make a hole in the soil, big enough for the roots, stir the fertilizer and soil in the hole, and plant the Adenium. Depending on how long the plant has been in its old pot, it may have a line on the stem between the green, bark-like surface that was exposed to the sun, and the whiter surface that was under the soil.

In the above photo, you may be able to see the green “bark,” and nearer the roots, the white part that was under the soil.

After the plant is in its place, and I have gently tamped the soil around it, I like to finish it with a layer of river stones. This helps prevent soil disturbance when you water, slows evaporation, and it looks nice.