Walking In Rossmoor April 2017 Page Three

Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time. -Steven Wright

2017-04-21 We Be Zoomin' Top

It's going to be 83 today so it was time to hit the road early... 9:30 AM is just fine.


The roses in the hood are amazing


Time for a plantains

Did You Know? - Cooking bananas are banana cultivars in the genus Musa whose fruits are generally used in cooking. They may be eaten while ripe or unripe and starchy. Some cooking bananas are also referred to as green bananas or plantains .

The term "plantain" is loosely applied to any banana cultivar that is eaten when cooked. However, there is no formal botanical distinction between bananas and plantains. Cooking is also a matter of custom, rather than necessity. Ripe plantains can be eaten raw, since the starches are converted to sugars as they ripen.


The front yard garden


Real "standup guys"


It's poppy time


Iris says "Hello"


Iris has turned purple


Every heard of the Yellow Iris Of Texas?


Who left their bicycle outside?


Glad they don't all bloom at once!


Mexican poppies

Did You Know? - Frank Baum, author of 'The Wizard of Oz', based this scene on a flower called the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum, or 'sleep-bearing poppy', due to its sedating effects). ... While the opium poppy contains a far greater concentration, simply walking through a field of them or even sniffing them will not cause sleep.


The roses line the fence


Daisy Daisy...


The colors are magnificent


Ugly and beautiful at the same time, the buds on the Prickly pear are good eating

Did You Know? - Called Indian figs or prickly pears, the lemon-or plum-shaped fruit of the Opuntia cacti ripen in late September. When mature, their outsides become bright red and the insides turn fiery orange (some varieties—not quite as sweet as the red prickly pear—are yellow on the outside when ripe and green inside). They make fine syrups, preserves, and jellies . . . and, in some parts of Mexico, the tunas are fermented to produce a heady liquor.


Seems the roses and succulents get along just fine


The sun seems to reflect the intense beauty


Watch out for the stickers


The tree roses are fantastic


Mum's the word!

Did You Know? - "Mum's the word" means to keep silent or quiet. "Mum" is a Middle English word meaning "silent".

The word may be derived from the "mummer" who does pantomime and just acts without saying anything.

Note the phonetically similar German word "stumm" (Old High German "stum", Latin "mutus") meaning "silent, mute".


Home sweet home


A small community


Nice to see


Looks like a snow bank... MAybe it is?


Brilliant reds against the blue sky


Night blooming jasmine

Did You Know? - Cestrum nocturnum (common names include night-blooming jasmine, night-blooming cestrum, lady of the night, queen of the night, night-blooming jessamine, and Hasna Hena, is a species of Cestrum in the plant family Solanaceae (the potato family).

2017-04-24 Here We Go Top

IPaul walked all arounf the place today looking for interesting photos.

 


The little angel watches the roses


Chugging right along the 2x4 highway


Watch the birdie


Fire Engine Red!


Love the frogs


The seeds were beautiful


Amazing... The orchids were sitting in the front yard


Boo!!


Bridge needed to cross the creek

 

 

2017-04-27 Here We Go Top

We have had a few terrible days with the advent of Sue's kidney infection.  We stayed home and did not walk until the meds kicked in and began the healing process.  Now, Paul starts again!

 
One hour, on the mark!


Our neighbors (who we do not know) raise artichokes but do NOT eat them!
They let them go to flower... Such a waste!


Beautiful front yard garden!


Other neighbors have a front yard garden and the corn is doing fine!


Looks pretty good!


Roses seem to be everywhere!

Did You Know?

  • The oldest fossilized imprint of a rose was found in Florissant, Colorado, and is estimated to be 35 million years old.
  • One rose hip contains as many as 40 to 50 seeds.
  • The miniature rose Overnight Sensation was the first rose to leave Earth for experiments in space. The purpose was to test the effect of low gravity on fragrance.
  • Rose hips contain more Vitamin C than oranges. The farther north of the equator a rose hip is grown, the richer it is said to be in Vitamin C. Rugosa rose hips are said to be the best source of Vitamin C.
  • There are no species roses which originate south of the equator.
  • Buds of the smallest roses are the size of a grain of rice.
  • There are no true-blue or black species roses because roses lack a gene to produce delphinidin, which is the source of blue coloring.


Roses everywhere!


Red poppies... Rememberence Poppy

Did You Know? - The remembrance poppy is an artificial flower that has been used since 1921 to commemorate military personnel who have died in war, and represents a common or field poppy, Papaver rhoeas. Inspired by the World War I poem "In Flanders Fields", and promoted by Moina Michael, they were first adopted by the American Legion to commemorate American soldiers killed in that war (1914–1918). They were then adopted by military veterans' groups in parts of the British Empire: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Today, they are most common in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and are used to commemorate their servicemen and women killed in all conflicts.


The fushia was striking!


Such bold colors!

Did You Know?

  • Fuchsia develops drooping, tubular or bell-shaped flowers. They can be seen during the summer and autumn in subtropical areas or all year round in tropics. Flowers last few days.
  • Majority of species of fuchsia develop brightly colored flowers, composed of red sepals and purple petals. Some varieties of fuchsia produce white, yellowish, orange, dark red and purple-blue colored flowers.
  • Colorful flowers attract hummingbirds, main pollinators of fuchsia.
  • Fruit of fuchsia are berries. They can be reddish green, red or purple-colored, depending on the variety. Berries are filled with numerous miniature seed.
  • All parts of fuchsia are edible, but berries are the most popular and most commonly used in human diet. Their taste ranges from acidic to sweet, depending on the cultivar. Berries are usually consumed in the form of jams.
  • Native Americans used root of fuchsia as a source of black pigment for coloring of wool.
  • Unlike other species of fuchsia, Fuchsia excorticata grows as tree. Its wood is so dense and hard that it cannot be used as firewood. Wood of Fuchsia excorticata is used for carving and manufacture of various long-lasting objects (such as combs).
    Indigenous people of New Zealand (Maori) were using blue pollen from the flowers of Fuchsia excorticata as a source of make-up.
  • Fuchsia is a symbol of "good taste" in Japan, and "confiding love" and "amiability" in the western societies.


The fruit was delicious... Yes, Paul snatched one! Loquat!


The seeds are indeed large but it tastes wonderful!

Did You Know? - Loquat fruits, growing in clusters, are oval, rounded or pear-shaped, 3–5 centimetres (1–2 in) long, with a smooth or downy, yellow or orange, sometimes red-blushed skin. The succulent, tangy flesh is white, yellow or orange and sweet to subacid or acid, depending on the cultivar.

Like most related plants, the seeds (pips) and young leaves of the plant are slightly poisonous, containing small amounts of cyanogenic glycosides (including amygdalin) which release cyanide when digested, though the low concentration and bitter flavour normally prevent enough being eaten to cause harm.


The sidewalk was lined with poppies - Icelandic

The
Beautiful in the bright sunshine


Great front yard decorations!


Christmas time... Reds and Greens


He was movin' slow!


Ready for the drought... What drought?