Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Home & Garden

Another Grueling Day of Retirement

high-ph.jpgMy biggest problem today is getting the water chemicals adjusted in the spa. I have the MPS (monopersulfate) and the alkalinity in range, but the PH balance is a little high. I went on-line to find out how to lower the PH. The answer is to add a mild acid to the spa such as white vinegar or a commercially-available granulated acidifier.

I took a photo of a couple of water test strips showing the before and after results when I added chlorine today. You can see that the second strip (closest to the container) matches colors for in-range condition for the top two pads only.

The plan is to see if our local discount store has a granulated acidifier in stock. If not, plan B will be to order some on-line.

We have had spas in the past in California, but we never worried very much about the chemical composition until now. We want this spa to outlast us, so we better take care of both it and us. 😉

28 Sep 2011 by Arizona Home & Garden Retirement

Red Bird Seed Pods

We did two things today (other than watching football on TV): we attended Smithsonian Day at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum here in town (free admission) and we dropped by our landscaper’s new store to ask about trimming and planting seeds from my Red Bird of Paradise shrubs. In the last few days, seedpods have sprouted from the flower stems. He gave us advice on how to trim back the shrubs for winter and how to prepare the seeds for planting. Maybe next spring I will have several more of the red birds in the garden. Click on the image to enlarge.

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24 Sep 2011 by Arizona Flowers Home & Garden

Patriotic Bouquet

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I bought a patriotic bouquet of lovely red and white roses with some (almost) blue accent flowers in the arrangement today when we went on our weekly shopping excursion for groceries. These are on my desk in the office tonight. Click on the image to enlarge.

15 Sep 2011 by Flowers Home & Garden Photography

More Xeriscape

Last week when we visited the Glendale Xeriscape Garden, I took this picture of a giant saguaro surrounded by a yucca (left), ocotillo (right) with an evergreen elm tree in the background. All of these are examples of low-water consumption vegetation.

The holes in the saguaro are usually burrowed out by flickers or woodpeckers but can be occupied by cactus wrens, elf owls and a variety of other desert birds. We really are enjoying learning about our desert environment. Click on the image to enlarge.

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09 Sep 2011 by Arizona Home & Garden Photography

A Musical Mesquite Tree

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I have been adding wind chimes and other garden decorations to our mesquite tree that is next to the RV driveway. When the wind blows, the chimes begin their musical serenade. Click on the image to enlarge.

06 Sep 2011 by Arizona Home & Garden

Xeriscape Gardens

Xeriscape gardening techniques are used throughout our desert communities. The xeriscape philosophy is compatible with the Sonoran Desert where we live. Designs incorporate low water usage plants such as cacti, palms, ocotillo and lantana. Xeriscape comes from combining the words landscape and xeros, the Greek word for “dry.” I photographed these lantana flowers in the Glendale, AZ Xeriscape Demonstration Gardens yesterday. Click on the image to enlarge.

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02 Sep 2011 by Arizona Flowers Home & Garden

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