Monday, March 31, 2008

My African Cichlid Aquarium




I have always enjoyed tropical fish. When I was little, my Uncle Merle and Aunt Anne had a pet store with tropical fish and parakeets. Over the years I have had assorted aquariums. All but one was fresh water. Once I had a salt water aquarium with a Lion fish. It was a beautiful fish, but he didn't live very long. I think a 15 gallon tank is too small for salt water fish.


About 2 years ago I bought a 46 gallon bow front and stocked it with African Cichlids. I have been very happy with it. We have it in the den so we can see it all the time. There are 2 good tropical fish stores in Dallas that carry African Cichlids. Here is a picture of my tank I took last year. I wonder if Gabey can count the number of fish in the picture.






Sunday, March 16, 2008

Patio Plants




Both the Johnny Jump Ups and the Pansies were planted in the fall. They will live through the winter but will die off the the temperature gets above 90 degrees.

Spring has arrived in Dallas







Here are some of my friends that came out today to watch me work in the yard. We have about 6 Green Anoles that live around and on the patio. They will change to either green or brown to adapt to their surroundings. Some call them chameleons. When Dorothy and I were little, Mom took us to the Circus and brought home a chameleon.








Sunday, March 9, 2008

Violets




I had mentioned to Dorothy that I have have a couple of violet plants. I believe I have been able to keep the alive for the at least the last 5 years due to the plant pots I bought at Home Depot. They have an inner pot that you plant the violet in. The inner pot is then placed into the outer pot. The outer pot has a hole on the outside for you to add water. This method of watering lets the water from the outer pot seep slowly into the inner pot keeping the plant soil moist all the time. It has worked for me.



In the beginning

In the hope of better communication with family and friends, I have started a blog. My sister Dorothy and my two nieces Chris and Shari all have blogs. Since I have enjoyed keeping up with them, I want to try my hand at it. My niece Shari and her husband Jeff have 2 remarkable children. It has been through her blog that I have been kept close to their lives.I had a hard time deciding on a blog name. My sister Dorothy gave me the inspiration with her blog name. Since I like cars, food and movies, Jim's Drive-in seemed like a logical choice.