A Small Project to Grow Strawberry in My Backyard

Two Strawberries

During this year spring season (couple months ago in our area), I planned a small project in my own backyard to grow strawberry in the several plastic pots.

The strawberry likes both shade and direct sun. The berry needs at least 6 hours sun on daily basis.

It is why strawberry grows well in the spring or late summer in nature. Sun light not so strong, but enough as needed.

Yes, Strawberry may grow in the small size containers. I used plastic pots with size of 6 inches height and 4.5 inches width. Very small.

Since growing in small pots, I need to water the plants more frequently, at least once a day.

What is the result?

A strawberry plant in the small plastic pot.

One of plants grew well, and produced several strawberries. The taste is better than strawberries sold in many grocery stores. Little bit sweeter.

I was so happy. I thought that I could grow strawberry at least for my own consumption during spring or summer seasons.

A sweet little red strawberry

Unfortunately, other growing berries from other pots are “stolen” by wild squirrels. The animals starts to pick even “buds” of fruits.

It seems that I invited the wild animals come to my backyard and in front of my back doors.

I need to rethinking other methods, include green house and hydroponic techniques by next year.

Buy What You Need in Home Depot

Let’s cut it

We always buy home relate tools and construction products from one of American biggest retail companies, called Home Depot.

The first reason is quite fair distance from our neighborhood. The other reasons due cheaper price and variety of supplies.

Many years we wonder how to bring things: woods, plywood, pipes and relate home material if larger or longer than our Matrix 2008 car.

Yes, if we buy such as many wooden beams, woods and wooden pools, then we would rent a small truck. But, if one piece of 5 meter wood, should we rent a truck?

Wood beam sold in Home Depot

We just currently notice that Home Depot provides do it yourself service. We not only cut the wood suitable to carry by our own car, but also pay the price as what we need. Neither more nor less than.

As an example, we cut 100 cm (3 feet) wood beam and pay for US$6 instead of paying US$18 for 300 cm (10 feet). Cheap and easy to carry.

At previously, we wasting our money, since we always buy more than what we need. Un-used material either we store in storage or throw away as a garbage. Unfortunately.

Have You been in Salt Lake City, Utah?

One of city entrance

I just passed through Salt Lake City in one of my trips to the North States. The city, in my opinion is calm and peace.

No crowd and rush hour compared to Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and even New Orleans in the southern state.

In respect to population is quite lower, around 200 thousand people only. Surprisingly, 51% is Mormon. We can assume that it is capital of Mormon.

If you never stay or visit USA, you might not know what Mormon is.

I quoted from Google “Mormons believe that Jesus paid for the sins of the world and that all people can be saved through his atonement. Mormons accept Christ's atonement through faith, repentance, formal covenants or ordinances such as baptism, and consistently trying to live a Christ-like life.”

A station for light rail system.

Public transportation is better than other cities across America. City has a light rail transportation to cover inner city and suburbs.

In addition to light train, the city also provide commuter trains and buses. We could access almost any part of city by public transportations.

Airport, ski resorts, public buildings and important public entertains are connected with public transportation networks.

The Mormon church

You can buy a round trip ticket from down town to any available places you wish. You could back to down town quickly and easily.

Do not worry, there are some trains on Saturday and Sunday, from early morning to mid night.

Have you been in or planning to go to Salt Lake City?

What is Purpose of Parthenon in Athens, Greece?

Parthenon in Athens (credit to Google)

The Parthenon is a classical style, a Doric order style of the Temple that built by the Athenian Empire in 447 BC. The temple for the patron of goddess, Athena.

Athena is the smartest and wisest of all gods in Greece. As god of war and peace. She was an inventor and crafted.

Then, Bakula (2018) added that “She was a protector, adviser, patron, and ally of heroic men.”

Parthenon have 8 pillars in front of the entrance. These pillars to support a pediment; a triangular element in upper part of front any classical style buildings.

In terms of political and military viewpoints, the Parthenon is a symbol of Athenian imperial power. 

As said by Martin (1999) that the Parthenon served as a champion of military power, indicated by the present of the goddess in battle armor inside the building.

The Parthenon is a rectangular form; Columns are smaller; and columns in Doric order of classical style.

Parthenon on the hill (credit to Google)

Currently, Parthenon function as a museum, to be one of tourist’s attraction in Greece.

As a great empire once upon time, we could find the remaining of Greek buildings in many places such as Italy, Sicily, and Turkey.

Parthenon was viewed from the sky (credit to Google)

Then, Greek classical style was mimicked and copied around the globe for private and public buildings. 

What kind of Greek classical buildings do yo know?

Reference

Bakula, J. (2018). Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Artistry in Greek Mythology. Retrieved from https://owlcation.com/humanities/The-Greek-Goddess-Athena

Martin, TR. 1999. An Overview of Classical Greek History from Mycenae to Alexander. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/#q=thomas+r+martin+an...
+overview+of+athena+empire.

Stop by at Art Galleries of a College Student

Look like a big goat head

We just stop by a college art gallery that close to our neighborhood recently. The students use a wall to show their creativity.

Sure, the purposes are to promote and if the art works are good enough, then the owners sell it.

Since the painting owners are students, mainly associate degree students, the price range from US$ 50 to couple hundred bucks.

I saw the highest price of painting is US$ 480. Male goat head of oil painting. Look very beautiful for me.

Vases and flowers

There are many painting styles as we know, some of them are:

- Racoco

- Barouque

- Realism (called as naturalism too)

- Fauvism

- Romanticism

- Cubism

- Expressionism

- Abstract

- Surrealism

Many vases with beautiful flowers

I know few of artists with their styles:

- Rembrant, a Dutch painter is one of well known artists for realism style.

- Pablo Picasso, a Spanish painter, a well known artist for cubism style.

- Edvard Munch, a Norwegian painter, a well known artist for expressionism style.

- Jackson Pollock, an American painter, a well known artist for abstract style

- Max Ernst is one of well known painters from Germany for surrealism style.

In my opinion that majority students adapted the Realism, also called as naturalism painting style. I love this style. What we see have no hiding meaning.

Few paintings as I saw that depict the light and visible strokes to show the quality of painting. This style could be included as post impressionism painting style.

Vincent van Gogh, a dutch painter is well known for his post impressionism style.

What painting style do you like? Who is your favorite painter?

Regular Visiting of Nursery at Home Depot

Nursery of flowers

We usually visit nursery on late January or early February every year. Temperature is comfortable in our American southern states.

The nursery could be home depot, Walmart or any specific nurseries that available in our city or near by our neighborhood.

In the last several years, frozen (temperature below minus C degree) killed our plants, flowers and fruits.

Some of our trees also died, not because of temperature, but because of diseases. Mainly due to fungi and bacteria diseases.

We need to re-placed the dead plants with new ones. They are include annual and perennial flowers, fruits and trees.

Perennial flowers

From the word “perennial,” we know that this is a kind of “continuation.” The flowers may grow year by year.

The flowers are growing during spring and summer seasons, dormant in the fall and winter. They might re-grow in the spring and summer, depending on many factors.

There are plenty of perennial flowers, some of them are:

- Black eyed Susan

- Day lily

- Daffodils

- Aster

- Gloriosa daisy

- Penstemon

Annual flowers

Annual refer to growing in one season only, no re-growing in spring and summer seasons.

Some of annual flowers are following:

- Petunia

- Pansy

- Calendula

- Swiss chard

- Geranium

Beautiful roses

I like white rose, look lovely. I think Home Depot sells plenty of roses variations and colors.

The colors not only white and red, but also include yellow, vermilion, magenta, apricot and purple.

What flowers do you like? Perennial or annual?

Do You Know that America Exports Date Fruits?

A date fruit tree sold by Etsy, US$ 2.31 per small tree

I thought that date fruits come from certain countries in Asia, Middle East and Africa only. The fact that the following top 10 countries produce dates are from these regions. They are:

01) Egypt, yearly production 1.1 million tons

02) Iran, yearly production 0.95 million tons

03) Saudi Arabia, yearly production 0.84 million tons

04) Iraq, yearly production 0.68 million tons

05) Pakistan, yearly production 0.56 million tons

06) United Arab Emirat, yearly production 0.53 million tons

07) Algeria, yearly production 0.49 million tons

08) Sudan, yearly production 0.44 million tons

09) South Sudan, yearly production 0.43 million tons

10) Oman, yearly production 0.24 million tons

Dates sold in Walmart

Quite lately, I knew that America produces date fruits too. Date trees are growing well in some hot places such as Southern Florida, Southern California and Arizona.

California produced 35 thousand tons (70 million pounds) of dates, around 90% of dates in America.

Production quite small compared to top 10 countries date production. However, it is surprising that America export date fruit to several countries.

Where? What countries are importing date fruits from USA? America exports date fruits to the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.

Total export in 2017 to 2018 was 21.8 million pounds with value US$ 67.1 million (Euro 60 million or Pound Sterling 52 million).

We are shopping date fruits from California recently. They are sold in groceries such as Walmart. Price quite reasonable, US$ 4 per-pound (almost half kg).

Have you tasted date fruits?