More carniverous plant action! Because this is the year of "more", then I should acquire more carnvierous plants! These are from Hirt's Gardens off Ebay...and as you can see the plants were packed well...

....look at this lovely venus fly trap!
Um...this plant was supposed to be a pitcher plant, nepenthes , but they sent me another venus fly trap! (I have since tried to contact them about this and not having any luck.) But it is pretty, and the same price as the pitcher plant I wanted.
And check this out-they're hungry! Aww...poor ladybug...not! (Actually, I mean to say Asian Lady Beetle.)
As for this ladybug, she got away later. Probably just as well; I've read that if the fly trap cannot fully close then the plant can have problems with bacteria getting into the trap, even causing death to the plant. (I wasn't too worried though, I'm sure that sort of thing happens in nature now and again anyway.)
Don't they all just look cute together? Now I just need a nepenthes and my indoor carniverous collection will be complete for now.
After all, I want to be sure I'm not a "carniverous plant serial killer" before I collect too many of these. Fingers crossed...so far, so good!

OMG weather history! While exploring the NOAA National Weather Service Historical Weather Album I found this image:
Twin funnels on Palm Sunday
Image ID: wea00217, NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) Collection Location: Elkhart, Indiana, Photo Date: 1965 April 11, Photographer: Mr. Paul Huffman

Friends, this is significant to me because I was in this storm, along with my family!! I wasn't even 3 years old, but I remember it very clearly! Our house was about 6 miles southwest of this spot (indicated by red arrow), and luckily we escaped injury and severe property damage.



I remember the eerie yellow-green appearance of the sky, because I was in charge of "helping" daddy keep watch for the funnel(s). Suddenly he told us all to get down to the basement as he went around opening windows (something about windows breaking from the air pressure difference, I don't think they even tell you to do that any more). So my primary concern heading downstairs was the cat and her new kittens. She raced past me with one in her mouth, but left the other one upstairs. It was getting really windy and loud, and I remember my ears popping. Dad came downstairs, and I started bawling about the other kitten, so he went back up and got it. Then I remember him watching out the small basement window, and my older sister asking to see. (She was 11). So he lifted her to see, but she just wanted right back down and ran to mom. Not to be outdone, I bawled until he lifted me too...what a scary sight! I remember crying big time, then we all crouched down under an old desk in the corner of the basement. The house shook, the noise was incredible, and you couldn't hear a thing over the din. Then nothing. Mom made dad wait longer than he wanted to, then he went up to make sure the coast was clear. We all came up, and there was debris and branches everywhere! Next we did the stupidest thing-piled in the car to drive around and see if our neighbors needed help. This may not sound wrong, but on Palm Sunday 1965 in northern Indiana (as well as Ohio and Michigan) there were 47 tornadoes that killed 271 people, and many were injured looking at damage from one storm as another formed and caught them unaware. We were lucky in that respect, and none of our neighbors were seriously injured, but a dairy farm got wiped out (except for a silo), and there were dead cows everywhere...even up in trees! I'm still amazed at how much I remember from such a young age, but then again the memories resurfaced frequently in nightmares for many years, so it would be hard to forget! What a "blast from the past" for my Friday!

Fun with weather...on my way to work the other day I noticed the rising sun looked like a spotlight coming up out of the ground. I managed to get a picture while driving (not recommended :), and after some research at the NOAA Weather Library, I discovered what this phenomenon is called: "Sun Pillar
A bright column above or below the sun produced by the reflection of sunlight from ice crystals."
Cool! This was confirmed further with a lookup in their weather glossary page. If you ever get a chance, take the time to peruse the weather library. They have many cool and historical weather photos, like this ice storm from 1921! I find this kind of information to be not just interesting, but comforting when I feel that my weather is the "worst ever" at any given time...cuz' it sure isn't!

Update:While enjoying the interesting link that Karen at Rurality provided for me, I found evidence that God Almighty wants us to drink and be happy (as stated by Ben Franklin ?)...I mean, is it just me or does that image of the sky look like a giant martini glass? That's right.

Shameful cauliflower recipe...including bacon and lots of cheese! Not low-cal or particularly healthy, but in the spirit of wanting "more", then this dish fills the bill (and the belly!):

Creamy Cauliflower Casserole With Bacon and Cheddar

6-8 servings 45 min 20 min prep

8 slices bacon, chopped and fried crispy

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon fresh parsley

salt

2 large cauliflower heads

4 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon pepper
Mix bacon, 1/2 cup cheese, and parsley in small bowl. Set aside for topping. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tbsp salt and cauliflower, cook until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Transfer half to cutting board and roughly chop. Melt cream cheese on low heat. Stir in heavy cream and remaining 2 1/2 cups of cheddar, cook until starts to melt. Off heat stir in sour cream, cauliflower, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Transfer to a 2 quart baking dish, sprinkle with topping, and bake until brown and bubbly, about 15 minutes.

The end of an era...my son and his girlfriend split up, so my favorite sassy puppy, Lady, will not appear on these pages in the future. This really bums me out.......but I don't think my son's two cats are gonna miss the girlfriend's dog at all! Here's Gizmo trying to defend himself with no front claws (he did hold his own quite well)... ....and here's Bentley, enjoying the newfound peace and quiet.
Now Gizmo can relax too, except when he's fulfilling his role as chief sandal-chewer, plant destroyer, and spider killer. He seems to sense that my son is bummed out about the dog though, because he's making an effort to comfort him... ....Gizmo has taken up the art of "fetch"!

He'll go on like that until his mouth is hanging open! Good kitty! Who needs a dog, anyway?