Wednesday, August 8, 2012

oil painting Desert Landscaping

Another type of landscaping that most people would never think of is desert landscaping. Desert landscaping is not like the landscaping that most people are used to seeing. These type of landscaping exist only in dry climate area such as Arizona and Texas. Desert landscaping will require the proper planning in order for the plants and other things that are part of the landscape to survive.

When it comes to plants, you are limited to a lot of the plants available. There are not many plants out there that would survive in desert climate. If you are planning to install an irrigation system to help non-native plants survive, this isn't a very practical thing to do. Even though the plants are receiving sufficient amount of water, it will not be able to stand up to the heat of the sun. For this reason,oil painting, it is much simpler to use plants that can handle the harsh weather.

Another reason to use desert plants is their ability to thrive in soil that is not very rich in nutrient. Many hot climate area have poor quality soil and only certain plants can survive in them. Some of these plants include Bougainvillea, Oleander, Texas Sage / Purple Sage, Lantana,landscape, Pampas Grass, Fairy Duster, and Red Bird of Paradise. These plants are hardy plants which means they require less maintenance. Some can thrive without water for weeks at a time.

There are some who don't live in the hot climate region, but love the look of the desert. Having a desert landscape somewhere else beside in hot climate region is possible. Desert plants will survive in the warmer season, but during the colder season,seascape, it might not do so well, especially in areas where it snow a lot. Your only option would to bring the plants inside and put them in a container. Once spring arrive, you can move the plants back out. Even though it seems like a lot of hassle, but it's all worth it if you want a desert landscape.

Desert landscaping is not as popular as other landscaping due to limited use of plants and other landscaping amenities. However, with the right design and planning, a desert landscape can be beautiful like any other landscape. If you want to try something new, look into desert landscaping and you might like what you see.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Buy Cheap EQ Plat Don't Stir the Pot!

Don't stir my pot!

Ok I'm really talking about my pot of chili but this could also apply to people who stir up other things.

I recently was working from home writing blog posts. It was going to be a productive day because no one was home and I would not have any distractions or interruptions.

It is hard to write blog posts at work because I apparently have a swinging door that everyone feels compelled to come through every 10 minutes with problems. Writing is something I love to do but find difficult with too many distractions.

It was a rainy,Buy Cheap EQ Plat, cold day so I decided to start dinner while home i got out my big ole' pot and started my grandmothers famous chili. All ingredients in the pot, heat on low and let it simmer for hours. When my grandmother made chili like this and she'd usually bake a cake at the same time. I always remember her saying "don't stir my pot and don't open my oven -in fact just stay out of my kitchen". It was always accompanied with her lovely smile - however she was dead serious!

I guess I took after her. Whenever I'm cooking I hate for someone to come in and mess with what I'm doing. It just gets under my skin and interrupts my thought process - just like when I'm writing. This same day a friend dropped by to bring me something I had left at work. He went immediately into my kitchen and took the lid off my chili and stirred the pot.

NO!

I almost took his head off. Lol. Sounded just like my grandmother - but without the smile. I only have a few little quirks - well maybe more than my share - but just a few that really get under my skin. Empty ice trays, clothes laying on the floor, unmade beds, people starting trouble, and STIRRING MY POT!

Oh BTW - here is my chili recipe

1 c. chopped onions
1 lb ground beef
1 lb. pork sausage
1 c. water
28 oz can whole tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
15 oz can tomato sauce
12oz can tomato paste
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. basil leaves
1 tsp. oregano leaves
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbls Dijon mustard
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 cup chicken stock

In 10" skillet cook onions, beef and sausage over med. heat until meat is browned. Pour off fat. Meanwhile, in Dutch oven combine remaining ingredients. Cook over med. heat stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to low; add browned meat. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 20 - 30 minutes. Sometimes we add a cup of rice or server it over pasta. But this is a chili recipe that has been in my family for over 80 years. Enjoy!