Best of My Rose Swamp Mallow Hibiscus
Five blossoms, each five inches across this morning. Too hot to last the day. Will have more tomorrow. They have been blooming since July 14th.
Favorite Rosemallow
Halberd-leaf Hibiscus are so named because the leaves look like little swords. The botanical name is Hibiscus laevis. It used to be called Hibiscus militarus.
This flower opened on June 25, 2026.
The pesky ground squirrels who live hereabouts favor the tasty young halberd leaves and dig them right out of the bark before they even emerge.
Here are 3 kinds of soft stem cuttings I am rooting in preparation for next year’s blooms: star jasmine, texas star, and halberd-leaf hibiscus
A Better To Do App
I have always had a love-hate relationship with to-do lists, with the love part deteriorating over quota issues. Little did I know that there is another app named TickTick (not to be confused with Tik Tok) which not only has nearly unlimited quotas but also is, in my opinion, more attractive and easier to use.
Glass Steamer and Blender
Another Micro Steam Oven
Dorfly Food Maker Glass Steamer and Blender is the answer to a decades long dream I’ve had of being able to to use a tool that fits in a palm to simultaneosly cook and blend fluffy potatoes, creamy soup, or what have you and keep the food warm without wasting oven space.
Did I say baby food maker? Not yet, but I will, and no, this machine is not just for babies. It makes nice portion control sizes (6 to 8 ounces) of many different side dishes, which can be cooked fresh, or made ahead and then quickly reheated to serve warm with an entree.
This one is smaller in capacity than the Bear NutriEase, and only 5” wide. The cord conveniently detaches, so at 4.6 lbs it is easy to move around.
Bear NutriEase
Not just for kids! What this really does is combine steam cooking with a blender. It is tiny, but perfect for making all sorts of food in one cup portions. I love it!
350 watts, compared to 400 for the Dorfly, 1100 for the Secura Steam Oven or Housnat, 700 for the Microwave, 45 for Yogurtia,
Just 7” across, and has a self cleaning cycle.
Egg: Poached in Ghee
Preheat Secura Oven then use “rapid steam” setting for 4 minutes floating an egg in ghee at 212°f
I used my butter-melting accessory to drip ghee (or butter) around the edges of this toasted rye and then poured the egg and drippings over the toast.
Steam Bake
8 oz mix Brownie or Blondie
1 egg
2T ea butter + Ghee + avocado oil
Lots of chips
Bake on parchment lined “tin” 15 mi in 350°f preheated steam/bake (Secura) oven.
Rapid Steam
My Secura oven has three settings for steam. They are “steam” and “rapid steam” and “steam bake.”
I thawed these overnight and cooked them at 390°F for 15 minutes on Rapid Steam.
My favorite way to make brownies is on Steam/Bake.
Moto Razr+ 2025
I acquired a 2024 Razr+ and after many years of having used Samsung Notes exclusively I fell completely in love with the Razr. But it had a defective external screen, so I exchanged it for a 2025 with titanium hinges and other benefits. This was after confirming that I could use macros on it, both with MessagEase and Typing Hero.
So happy!
Renogy
Hated to lose the mulberry tree that shaded my porch, but it was shading the solar panels on my roof as well, and it’s roots broke the cement patio.
I also won’t miss the 3 days work raking up fallen leaves every year, on hosing down all the purple blotches from the sides of my home.
Jujube Tree
Time will tell but I may have found the perfect fruit tree to grow in Yucca Valley.
Jujuba.
Ziziphus jujuba ‘Honey Jar’.
Ordered from Amazon February 17, 2026, 5 ft, kept in kitchen to leaf out under grow lights. Already budding in March.
Oatman
The last time I was in Oatman the winding drive up from Kingman was beautiful and mine was the only car on the road, so I had the burros that loiter outside of town all to myself.
Unfortunately, I did not have time to stop at my favorite rock shop on the way down. I haven’t been there since March of 2022. That trip the weather was miserable.
First Daffodil of 2026
Whipped by 3 days of ferocious winds, my first daffodils suffered mid February, but this bud that I picked and brought inside opened nicely.
It is sitting in front of my beloved Secura Steam Oven.
Partenon Zucchini
I ordered Maverick which hopefully has smoother leaves, and Burpee’s Sure Thing, so I will have 3 different kinds of parthenocarpic squash to enjoy indoors this winter.
First Pea of 2026
This is a 2 inch pod and one of the first flowers on the Carouby de Maussane snow peas that SuperGrok recommended for growing indoors in water. I put a few in my outdoor tower planter as well, after Thanksgiving here in the High Desert (zone 8b)
Mulberry Leaves
Changed Maintenance date on Solar panels until after leaves finish falling.
Christmas Day Shishito Peppers
These are the Burpee Hybrid Shishito peppers called Dragon Roll. I bought them as live plants from Home Depot. Burpee offers the live plants on their web site, too, but they sell out fast.
The wrinkled texture is offputting, but I do not know of any other pepper that tastes as good as these, and the leaves are tender and good to float in broth. The plants are fast growing, hardy and prolific even in the scorching dry heat of the high desert.