Just For Fun

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Thu 19 Jul 2012

The Desert Botanical Garden by the Numbers – 2011

Posted by jbross under Desert Gardening, Just For Fun, Miscellaneous Adventures, Phoenix - Life
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Written by Jeff



Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

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Maintaining a collection of live plants in the middle of the desert is a challenge for the most experienced gardeners. Visitors are often surprised to find that many of the plants in the collection of the Dessert Botanical Garden come from deserts in distant lands and are not native to the Sonoran Desert.

Here are some fascinating statistics garnered from the 2011 Annual Report:

* 2011 attendance 438, 339

* Acres at Desert Botanical Garden – 145

* Acres Cultivated – 50 (Plenty of room for growth!)

* Total Accessioned Plants – 26,682

* Total Number of Species – 4,135

* Rare and Endangered Seed Collections – 409

* Rare and Endangered Plants – 965

* Total Herbarium Specimens – 70,000 (Wow!)

* Individual Volunteers – 1,040

* Total Hours Contributed – 77,532

* Full-time Staff – 78

* Part-time and Seasonal Staff – 108

Saguaro with Crested Arm

ABOVE is an interesting picture of one of the Saguaro’s at the Desert Botanical Garden. The arm is fasciated or “crested.” This is an anomaly and the reasons for it are unknown, but being studied.

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Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Visit Amazon’s Garden & Patio Markdowns


 

Sun 1 May 2011

Phunky Phoenix – May 1, 2011

Posted by jbross under Just For Fun, Phoenix - Life
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One of the interesting things about moving to a “new” place, even though we have been here for more than four years now, is the discovery of different and somewhat off-beat places, people and things. I will use Phunky Phoenix posts to describe some of these treasures to introduce readers to the uniqueness of the Phoenix, AZ area. After all, we are probably one of the only states with an official state gun (the colt).

One road sign you will see in this area as well as other AZ locales is the one below. Javelinas have been one of my gardening nemeses. They enjoy so many of the plants I try to grow. While I haven’t actually seen them in my garden, their destruction is unmistakable. They do their marauding at night and I find the devastation in the morning when I walk the gardens.

Javelina Crossing Sign

Along Cave Creek Rd. between Tatum Blvd. and Carefree Hwy, on the Southbound side of the road, we have dogs on a bus.

Dogs on a School Bus

They are on their way to obedience school. Can you see the Saint Bernard behind the wheel?

Dogs on a School Bus with dog Driving

At the Southeast Intersection of Dynamite Blvd and 56th St., there is the Alpha Stencil. I don’t think Banksy was there, but I do think this means something that my senior citizen database just doesn’t compute. Can anyone enlighten me regarding the stencil below?

Alpha Stencil

As readers of my blog know by now, I do enjoy touches of whimsy in the garden. One of the nearby houses has a rooster statue in their front yard. I would say that this is really something to crow about!

Large Rooster Garden Statue

I hope you enjoyed my first foray into Phunky Phoenix and I will try to post more from time-to-time as I gather pictures and stories.

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post


 

Sat 8 May 2010

Tips for a Better Life: Music and Cactus Blooms

Posted by jbross under General, Just For Fun, Phoenix - Life
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Written by Jeff

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!



  • Tips for a Better Life

    Click Here to Download The Presentation!

    I always enjoy reading quotes about various subjects. As a matter of fact, I collect quotes. I have amassed three groups of quotes. One set for sharing which are basically adages for life, one set for gardening which I sometimes use in my posts and one set that has humorous or quirky quotes that I generally keep for myself.

    The file above, Tips for Life, 2010, offers a group of quotations for life and presents them with pictures of cacti and succulents. I hope you enjoy them!

    PLEASE NOTE: No attribution was assigned to this project when I received it. If valid attribution is sent to my attention, I will revise the post to provide appropriate credit.

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  • Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post



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Thu 31 Dec 2009

Plant Quiz Plus One

Posted by jbross under Desert Gardening, Just For Fun
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Written by Jeff



Many of those who view my blog are garden aficionados and know a great deal about a wonderful variety of plants. There are two columns listed below. One has numbers and one has letters. Can you match the letters to the correct numbered item? How many you can match correctly? A link to the answers will be at the bottom of the post.

Bonus Question – In addition, all of these plants have at least one thing in common. Not something obvious like “They all have leaves, or roots, etc.,” but something different or unique. Do you know the common characteristic? The answer to this question will also be included in the link below*.

Good luck to all of my gardening “expert” friends!

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1. Lantana camara a. Golden Pathos
2. Devil’s ivy b. Mansoa alliacea
3. Moth Orchid c. Saintpaulia
4. Hedera Helix d. Spathiphyllum
5. Parlor Ivy e. Feston Rose
6. African violet f. Heartleaf Philodendron
7. Christmas Cactus g. Hippeastrum
8. Yellow Goddess h. English Ivy
9. Garlic Vine i. Schlumbergera or Zygocactus
10. Peace Lily j. Phalaenopsis

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For the answers, click HERE

* The referenced article is the source for the above information.

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Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post


 

Thu 9 Jul 2009

Ads Never Die! Tag…You’re a Hit!

Posted by jbross under Just For Fun
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Written by Jeff

Thanks to J-Walk [ http://j-walkblog.com/ ] for mentioning this site and alerting me to this information.

Eric Swartz, a.k.a. the Tagline Guru, has compiled a list of the 100 most influential advertising taglines.

As a challenge, I am presenting those top 100 taglines. See how many you can identify. One caution: When the advertiser’s name or product appears in the tagline, I replaced it with “(Advertiser)” so it wouldn’t be given away. Once you have gotten as many as you can, review the entire list with advertisers named at the link below:

http://www.taglineguru.com/survey05.html

At the site scroll down because they have jingles and other information as well.

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Have fun; good luck!
- [ Jeff ] -
**********


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  1. Got (Advertiser)? (1993)
  2. Don’t leave home without it. (1975)
  3. Just do it. (1988)
  4. Where’s the beef? (1984)
  5. You’re in good hands with (Advertiser). (1956)
  6. Think different. (1998)
  7. We try harder. (1962)
  8. Tastes great, less filling. (1974)
  9. Melts in your mouth, not in your hands. (1954)
  10. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking. (1956)
  11. When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight. (1982)
  12. Reach out and touch someone. (1979)
  13. A (Advertiser) is forever. (1948)
  14. Finger-lickin’ good! (1952)
  15. The uncola. (1973)
  16. Let your fingers do the walking. (1964)
  17. There are some things that money can’t buy.
    For everything else there’s (Advertiser). (1997)
  18. What happens here, stays here. (2002)
  19. You’ve come a long way, baby. (1968)
  20. We bring good things to life. (1981)
  21. Please don’t squeeze the (Advertiser). (1964)
  22. Does she or doesn’t she? (1964)
  23. Have it your way. (1973)
  24. I can’t believe I ate the whole thing. (1966)
  25. Come alive! You’re in the (Advertiser) generation. (1964)
  26. The ultimate driving machine. (1975)
  27. The quicker picker-upper. (1991)
  28. Look, Ma, no cavities! (1958)
  29. (Advertiser). The other white meat. (1986)
  30. Pardon me, do you have any (Advertiser)? (1980)
  31. Friends don’t let friends drive drunk. (1992)
  32. Have a (Advertiser) and smile. (1979)
  33. I love (Advertiser). (1977)
  34. Betcha can’t eat just one. (1981)
  35. Think outside the bun. (1998)
  36. The mind is a terrible thing to waste. (1972)
  37. It keeps going, and going, and going… (1989)
  38. Hey, Mikey…he likes it! (1972)
  39. This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs.
  40. They’re gr-r-r-eat! (1950s)
  41. The happiest place on earth. (1960s)
  42. (Advertiser). It’s what’s for dinner. (late 1980s)
  43. With a name like (Advertiser), it has to be good. (1962)
  44. Nothing comes between me and my (Advertiser). (1979)
  45. Is it live or is it (Advertiser)? (1970s)
  46. Because I’m worth it. (1967)
  47. The few, the proud, the (Advertiser). (1991)
  48. Our repairmen are the loneliest guys in town. (1967)
  49. Put a tiger in your tank. (1964)
  50. You quiero (Advertiser). (mid-1990s)
  51. How do you spell relief? (Advertiser). (1970s)
  52. This Bud’s for you. (1970s)
  53. When (Advertiser) talks, people listen. (mid-1980s)
  54. It’s everywhere you want to be. (1988)
  55. I’ve fallen and I can’t get up. (1990)
  56. We make the money the old-fashioned way—we earn it. (1980s)
  57. (Advertiser) Inside. (early 1990s)
  58. Don’t get mad. Get (Advertiser). (early 1980s)
  59. Like a rock. (1990)
  60. It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken. (1972)
  61. We will sell no wine before its time. (1970s)
  62. Fly the friendly skies. (1966)
  63. Lifts and separates. (1960s)
  64. Thank you for your support. (1985)
  65. Try it, you’ll like it. (1970s)
  66. Think small. (1962)
  67. We answer to a higher authority. (1975)
  68. Get a piece of the rock. (1970s)
  69. The world’s favourite airline. (1983)
  70. Nothing runs like a Deere. (1972)
  71. Leave the driving to us. (1950s)
  72. The world’s online marketplace. (late 1990s)
  73. Quality is job one. (1979)
  74. Drivers wanted. (1995)
  75. Think outside the box. (1990s)
  76. (Advertiser) works wonders. (1960s)
  77. The relentless pursuit of perfection. (1990s)
  78. The king of beers. (1950s)
  79. (Advertiser) puts you in the driver’s seat. (1961)
  80. (Advertiser). The fabric of our lives. (1989)
  81. I want my (Advertiser). (1956)
  82. (Advertiser) kills bugs dead. (1966)
  83. (Advertiser)—Australian for beer. (1990s)
  84. Catch our smile. (1970s)
  85. (Advertiser) remembers. (1970s)
  86. Solutions for a small planet. (mid-1990s)
  87. For those who think young. (1961)
  88. My wife, I think I’ll keep her. (1971)
  89. Never let ‘em see you sweat. (1980s)
  90. I’d rather fight than switch. (1960s)
  91. For fast, fast, fast relief. (1950s)
  92. A silly millimeter longer. (1970s)
  93. Take it all off. (1960s)
  94. The spirit of ’76. (1960s)
  95. It’s not a job. It’s an adventure. (1980s)
  96. Did somebody say (Advertiser)? (1997)
  97. Ring around the collar. (1968)
  98. It’s not your father’s (Advertiser – CAR)… (1980s)
  99. The toughest job you’ll ever love. (1970s)
  100. Share moments. Share life. (1990s)

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post based on the work of the Tagline Guru


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