I need to start more cuttings *NOW* before it gets much later in the season.

I looked in on the cuttings that I started earlier:

The bougainvillea cuttings didn't take. I tried starting these in a tray of soil, but I think the soil just washed away, and the cuttings just dried up. I also tried starting f. benjamina and f. retusa in the same tray, both attempts failed. I had a difficult time starting f. benjamina in 4 inch pots, but some took. The f. retusa cuttings I did in the same 4 inch pots took pretty good, it looks like.

The ivy and moss is growing really well. I continue to make ivy/moss bonsai with great success. Like my other cuttings, I continue to feed weekly with full strength miracle grow. I was looking back at my notes from last year, and I think I was feeding at double strength weekly. YIKES! It wasn't intentional, and I will not be doing that again, lest I burn my little wards.

The grape I brought home last summer from San Diego is starting to bud. I doubt the person I bought this grape from would recognize it as his. I've clipped it way back and I cut off almost all the growth that was left, leaving one strong growing branch. This branch is pretty close to the ground and it bends down a bit, so the growth looks almost cascade. I'm probably going to repot this so it grows more upright, but with a good twist.

All that growth that I cut off was substantial. I placed it in some soil and I've been watering it. It started to bud out, so we'll see if it takes root. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Turns out my olive was another casualty of that week in Sept where I lost water. Well, it didn't completely die, it only *mostly* died. I had to severely prune it back and I lost YEARS of growth. That's the bad news. The good news is that it did survive. When I pruned it back, I took the opportunity reassess its growth and I scaled it back a little more than what was necessary. This was an attempt to position the surviving material in a better foundation. I also took a few heel cuttings and I tried planting a section of trunk. Almost all the cuttings were unsuccessful. Planting the whole section of trunk appears to have had some success; I think it's taking, but I'm not sure. One thing for sure, olives are a pain in the ass to propagate!

Weather for today: high of 74 with an overnight low of 46. Still a bit chilly, but not bad.

I spoke to this chatty Cricket representative this morning; I called to have my old cell phone ported over. He asked about the weather and if I was being affected by the snow.

SNOW?! I asked. No, we're looking at a daytime high of 74...

'Oh!' He chimes in, 'so you have beautiful weather until summer?'

Yes, I replied, three months of hell in the summer, but... (looking up the weather in COLUMBUS , OHIO )

Looks like your current weather is 14, with a daytime high of 24?

Yes, he replied.

And it looks like tomorrow's high for you will be... 9(?).

WHAT?!

With an overnight low of.... NEGATIVE FOUR (?)!

WHHHHAAAAAAT??!!!

I sure hope the chatty Cricket rep stays warm tonight. My freezer is warmer than that!

I started a bunch of F. benjamina cuttings over the weekend. I kept these cuttings a bit on the long side, but they're still about matchstick sized. Some slightly bigger, but nothing thicker than a pencil. This year, I'm going to focus on cuttings. Well, that and maybe some pomagranite seeds. The time to order seeds for this year has come and gone. I don't think I'll be ordering any seeds this year, thank you.

I'm really enjoying how the English ivy is looking. I'm also enjoying the brass buttons and Scottish moss. Plus I've been blessed with some great garden-variety moss just blossoming everywhere!

Honestly, it's been so toasty warm that I think I'll start fertilizing next weekend.

Yes, Phoenix gets bloody hot in the summer. Hot hot HOT!!! I complain about it, but honestly, I wouldn't trade it for the deep freeze of the East Coast. Now *THAT* has to be miserable. Like I already stated, it gets a bit chilly during the winter, but nothing that bad. Downright pleasant, if you ask me!

Thinking of that poor frozen Cricket rep, I'm very glad to be porting my old number over. This temp cell phone number they gave me is driving me NUTS! You remember that old movie "Amazon Women on the Moon"? There was this one skit called 'Mondo Condo' where Arsenio Hall's apartment suffers one highly-unlikely and highly unlucky event after another. There's a recurring bit where people keep calling, asking for a certain someone. Yeah, that's this phone:

(Ring Ring!)

Hello?

Buddy Holly?

Sorry, wrong number

Is this 555 867 5309?

Sorry, wrong number

Yes, but do you know Buddy Holly

Sorry, wrong number

That don't mean you don't know Buddy Holly! Where's Buddy Holly?!

Sorry, wrong number

Yeah, so that's how my day's been going. I think I'm gonna strip naked and run through the bike trail.