 total of 7), 11/20/2013
Aloysius’ first pup growing fast, 12/4/2013
Aloe Vera doesn’t grow in the wild; it’s a cultivar. There are some aloes (that are not veras) that grow in the wild, but they are very distant relatives. Aloe Vera has been widely grown as an ornamental plant and is considered by many to be a medicinal plant. While there’s not been any scientific evidence that Aloysius and the gel you can squeeze from his fleshy leaves contain healing properties, I have used fresh aloe vera gel to soothe sunburn and, just the other day, I slit open a small piece and placed it inside my Grandmother’s cheek where she’d bitten her lip several times (and the bite site is healed nicely).
Aloysius is about 3 years old and had a very pampered life until my Grandmother had a heart attack. While she was gone, a friend kindly watered Aloysius, but never rotated him so he got sun on all sides. This caused him to grown slant-wise, and I’m in the process of getting him “straightened” out!
Usually flowers are produced in summer, but Aloysius grew his flower spike during the month of November, soon after being repotted. These spikes can grow up 35″ tall; his is a whopping 40″.
None of my Aloe Veras have ever bloomed, so when Aloysius sent up his flower stalk, I was amazed. My Grandmother said he’d done this once before, but no flowers ever appeared. At first I was curious why a plant would put up a flower stalk with no flowers, but today when I was fussing over him, I saw that the “bud”, which had opened up into separate “pods”, had stamens showing at the tips! Ah ha! Flowers! Very small and hard to see, but macro photography gives us an up-close and personal view.
The tip of Aloysius’ flower stalk on 11/20/2013
A second bud on the flower stalk, 11/20/2013
Aloysius’ buds are open, 12/4/2013
Evidence of flowers! 12/4/2013
Flowers! 12/4/2013
Flowers first open lower on the stalk; 12/4/2013
Mother Nature is amazing!
﻿using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.SceneManagement;

public class WinLevelMenu : MonoBehaviour
{
    private SceneFader sceneFader;
    private GameStatus gameStatus;
    private GameObject winLevelMenu;
    private string mainMenu = "StartMenu";


    private void Awake()
    {
        sceneFader = GameObject.Find("SceneFader").GetComponent<SceneFader>();
        gameStatus = GameObject.Find("GameManager").GetComponent<GameStatus>();
        winLevelMenu = GameObject.Find("WinLevelMenu");
    }

    private void Start()
    {
        winLevelMenu.SetActive(false);
    }

    public void Continue()
    {
        SelectedCharacters.clear();
        GlobalSceneManager.sceneIndex += 1;
        sceneFader.FadeToScene("CharacterSelect");
    }

    public void Menu()
    {
        SelectedCharacters.clear();
        sceneFader.FadeToScene(mainMenu);
    }
}
CPEC China Pakistan Economic Corridor Engineering Jobs has been announced by the China Pakistan Economic Corridor CPEC. Jobs Announced by The CPEC Pakistan. Applications from candidates are invited for recruitment against the vacant posts having me prescribed qualification mentioned below Jobs is looking for suitably qualified & experienced Pakistani to fill the following position, under the post title of Architectural Engineering, Environmental …Read More »The Caper chair in its multipurpose version, with swivel, tilt and height adjustment, is made for places that require a casual yet comfortable place to sit. Working at a desk, gliding over to meet with a colleague, reclining in thought; these and a full range of activities are comfortably undertaken in the Caper multipurpose. Fresh, versatile colour choices and a compact scale allow it to add a bit of flair along with practical function to any space.
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Ivy had back-to-back doctor appointments a few days ago, one with the surgeon and one with the pediatrician.
The surgeon appointment was super quick, as usual. Ivy got to get weighed on the big-kid scale, standing up with all of her clothes on, which was pretty neat. The surgeon looked at her scar and at her chest, and said that everything looked great and he would see her again in six months or so. He also told us to start weaning her off of the omeprazole, which is super exciting - it's no fun to have daily medicine, especially when you have to keep it refrigerated. So we're doing every other day for a week and then every two days, and then we'll be done. He also mentioned that he'd want to see her for a few years just to keep an eye on her development, especially her chest wall - I'm not sure what that meant, but so far it all looks good.
The surgeon also asked if we were planning on having more kids. He said "don't let the fact that Ivy had TEF keep you from trying for another baby; the odds of having a second TEF baby are very low." I wish it were as simple as being worried about TEF, doc! I said "well, we had to do IVF for this one, so chances are we just won't be able to do it again." It gave me a little short-lived twinge of sadness to say it out loud again.
And then the next morning we checked in with the pediatrician. Ivy got three shots, and everything else looks fine. She weighs 18 pounds 4 ounces, which is way down towards the bottom of the scale; her head circumference is even lower, but she's 75% percentile for height (29.75"). So she's still a pinhead beanpole. We'll see the pediatrician again in three months.
After the surgeon visit especially, it felt almost like we'd graduated. No more medicine, less frequent visits - it's a great feeling. It's especially sweet because a year ago at this time we had just completed Ivy's swallow test and were preparing to get her chest drainage tube removed; and my social media posts from then bring back a lot of emotions.
Glad to hear she rocked her check-upsSpring Fashion, LA Style
Seasonal faves from top baby boutiques
Despite the torrential rain earlier this week, spring is in the air—and in stores. The owners of three of our favorite shops gave us the rundown on their top picks for the season. “We just added the Venice-based line Frankie and Ava to our store, and I’m really excited about their polka dot henley onesie ($41),” says Erinn Berkson of Kid Firefly (1405 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice). It’s crisp and fresh in black and white, and “I love the sweet detailing at the neckline.” For toddlers, Berkson digs LA-based Anthem of The Ants’ Ciao summer sundress (pictured, left; $68) in dotty love. “The lightweight denim fabric is so perfect for LA, and the slightly ruffled sleeves and polka dots give it a feminine look.” Jamara Ghalayini of Pumpkinheads (11640 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood) says, “Pure Baby Organic from Australia is absolutely the most exquisite layette line on the market.” Their Henley romper ($44), in pale blue with stripes, feels especially of-the-moment. For girls, “you can’t go wrong with the striped tiered skirt ($39) from Daily Threads,” Ghalayini adds. Celine Vacher, co-owner of La La Ling (1810 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz), is excited about Jill & Jack’s Star Wars Onesies (pictured, right; $36), which are made in LA. “Vintage inspired looks are very on trend for 2013,” reports Vacher. “And the soft light blue is a perfect color for spring.”Since 1912, more than five hundred thousand men and