I, Curtis

Category: Hobbies

  • New Seed Source

    On Tuesday I began searching for a new variety of strawberry to plant, something distinct from the ones that I have presently. I ran across Whatcom Seed Company, a company with relatively few varieties of plant, but the ones they do have are rare and exotic. They do not sell plants, just seeds. Today my order arrived (I ordered the strawberries, Coastal Redwood [Sequoia], Blue Shrimp Plant, Cedar Cup, Turk’s Cap Lilly, and Japanese Flowering Cherry). My Redwood was backordered, so it will arrive later. The order arrived with the seeds really well packed in plastic bags (not waxed paper shit some companies use), as well as with complete instructions for how to get them to germinate. The company won’t guarantee germination (because some varieties are difficult), but they provide a lot of information to insure that the seeds will grow.

    The website  for this new supplier has given me an idea for a new hobby that I would like to try, Bonsai, a specialty of the company. I ordered the Seqoia and the Japanese Cherry to be full size trees, but with more than 50 seeds of each one, I don’t think I want that many full size trees, so Bonsai could be fun with them. I am presently considering starting each of my new seeds in my AeroGarden to ensure their germination.

  • AeroGarden Bliss

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  • What is it?

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    I planted this bush/tree in my yard about three years ago. I thought it was just a flowering tree, but now it is producing berries/fruit and I have no idea what it is. Does anyone recognize what type of plant this is? In the spring it did blossom, but they were short-lived, and over the spring these fruits have been forming in their place. At present the bush is about 5 or 6 feet tall. It is very bushy, and all of the limbs are very pliable. These fruits are sporadically placed throughout the branches from about 1ft from the top to the very bottom branch. I am very curious as to what this plant is.

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  • Video: Cool Ab Workout

    Saw this video on YouTube yesterday and thought it was a fun video to watch. I might try following along with this guy. He has amazing abs, and a strange sense of humor.

  • Figure Drawing

    Over the past few days I have made several attempts at figure drawing. I have attempted to read the book that I borrowed from the UNC Library,The Artist’s Complete Guide to Figure Drawing. I find the book to be a little hard to follow and not as useful as I would like in a book about such a difficult topic. I am still seeking the perfect book for the topic, but I am not impressed with what I am finding at Amazon, and the local stores have close to no selection when it comes to art. Anyone know of a good book for the topic?

  • Making Biscuits

    I attempted to make biscuits for dinner this evening, but I seem to have inherited my mother’s ability to screw them up. Her biscuits always came out hard and completely inedible, but mine are a little different, they are very  soft and crumble when you touch them. Unlike my mother’s, which taste like chalk, mine actually taste like biscuits, so maybe there is hope for me yet.

  • Macro Photos of AeroGarden Herbs

    Last time I grew herbs in an AeroGarden I didn’t have the ability to take macro pics, but now I do. Here are a few of them:

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    Purple Basil                                            Chives
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    Mint                                                       Thyme

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    Dill

  • Spicy Chicken Seasoning

    This evening I tried my own attempt at making a chicken seasoning. I was going for something mildly spicy with a bit of a bite, but nothing too hot for my dinner guests (my parents and Chris). I overshot and ended up with something very spicy, but that was considered to be a good flavor by all who attempted eating it. The mixture is listed below.

    Equal parts:

    • Ground red pepper
    • Ground white pepper
    • Ground Italian seasoning
    • Garlic Powder
    • Mrs. Dash Chicken Seasoning (yes, I cheated some)

    One-half part:

    • Ground cumin

    Three parts:

    • Cornmeal

     

    After mixing the seasoning I spooned a single teaspoon into a shaking bag (any light-weight plastic bag, gallon or larger, will do), tossed in a half-breast of chicken and shook aggressively. Once each piece was seasoned I placed them inside a turkey bag (laying flat) on a 13×9 baking dish. I added some sliced Italian sausage on top of the chicken. Tied the bag with butcher’s string and tossed it in the over at 350° for 45 minutes.

     

    I believe the level of heat of this dish can be controlled by adjusting the amount of seasoning placed in the bag, perhaps next time only about a half of a teaspoon per piece of chicken.

  • More Photo Printing

    I have had several sets of prints done at this point. I have used a different method for just about every time I have done it and I haven’t picked my favorite yet. I think I really like having them sent to my local CVS store though, no matter how they are printed… except when having them shipped is a much better deal.

    Tonight I was looking at some photo accessories on Amazon and ran across an offer I couldn’t pass up, a lens cleaning pen AND $30 of free prints on ShutterFly. I had nothing to loose, so I did it. I bought the pen (should arrive Tuesday), and received my coupon code and I now have 2 orders with ShutterFly that should arrive sometime next week. I am looking forward to seeing what quality of prints I get. I am excited by a feature they have that no other photo printing service I have used yet does. They will print whatever you want on the back of the photos, for easy identification. This is something I would have loved to have had when I was doing other prints of my work for my digital photography class, to mark lesson and image numbers. Another fun thing I got free is an 11×14 poster containing 1 – 60 images… I picked to do 15… the 15 of my  final project and I even got to have fun and put titles and stuff on it.

    shutterfly

    I’m looking forward to receiving all of my prints next Friday.

  • Another Digital Ink Drawing Attempt

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