My First Bonsai

Juniperus Procumbens Nana

This is my first attempt at raising a Bonsai. That isn't completely true. I was given a little Bonsai that came in a box about ten years ago. Since I never researched how to care for it, never knew about prunning, and it died within weeks, I just don't count it as a Bonsai experience.

After picking the brain of an older couple who happened to be at the same nursery I was, I learned that experts claim that the Juniper variety of Bonsai is extremely unpredictable as far as survivability.

And after deciding to just bite the bullet, I purchased all of these ingredients as my first true Bonsai starter kit:
Cactus potting soil (lava rock mix), drainage rocks, prunning shears, sculpting wire, Bonsai pot, humidity tray, and starter Bonsai Juniper tree.

After initial repotting and sculpting.

Final first grooming.

Now it will rest for two months before I attempt any more prunning. This is mid Spring, and the beginning of the growing season. I have anchored down the trunk, but I haven't wired any branches. That is to be done at the end of September.

According to the reasearch I did, I need to keep it in a shaded area for 6-8 weeks, while keeping it well watered. The plant has gone through a shock, and careful treatment is key to its survival.

First Yard Project

The lease we signed stipulated that we were responsible for the upkeep of the lawn. I didn't have a lawn mower, so I searched Craigslist for a few days for a good deal. (after all, the cheapest push mower you could find at WalMart, Lowes or Home Depot was at least 170 bucks)

And I found one. A fellow named Ivan was in the practice of collecting and restoring used mowers. I got a 22-in Briggs & Straton push mower, in great condition, for only 40 dollars. SInce he replaced all of the gaskets for me I gave him a 5 dollar tip.


After the first yard mowing, I realized that the heavy concrete steps in front of the house were hard to mow around without catching the blade on them. So I decided to sink them all the next weekend.

Moving Day

We finally made it to our destination. Neither of us had a job waiting on us when we left Florida. We'd never been in this state before, and we didn't know a soul here.

Within 3 days here, I'd landed an interview with a major internet global company. I got the job, and was offered a position on the 5th day. We both felt very blessed.

After staying at a weekly efficiency rental, we signed a lease on a nice place in town.

Our soreness from four days of packing this truck barely abated, it was suddenly time to unload it and unpack an entire house of belongings.

Our Trip Into The Heart Of America

The first hotel we stayed in outside of Atlanta.


Jefferson Davis Monument in western Kentucky.


Pam and me at the base of the Jefferson Davis Monument.


Pam at a historical marker at the Jefferson Davis Monument.


Pam and me at the second hotel outside of St Louis.


The St Louis Arch, taken with one hand on the wheel, the other trying to focus my T1i.

A Blessing In Disguise

Pam and I had spent 4 days packing the ABF trailer. We were both tired, sore, and drained. Then we had to hit the road in both of our cars. To say that there was a slight amount of apprehension about the three days of driving ahead of us would be an understatement.

Pam had never driven north of Tampa in her entire life. She honestly doesn't like to drive. It goes back to a tragic episode when she was 14 years old.

Within an hour of climbing into our respective automobiles for the long trip ahead, going 70 mph, Pam had a tire blowout. Unfortunately, she hadn't ever changed her tires since buying her Corolla 5 years ago. The tread was still passable (because she drove only 2 minutes a day to her job and back), but the rubber was dry rotted.

She had never experienced a flat tire in her life, and she handled it great. I was watching her in my rearview and just happened to see her start to edge onto the shoulder. I unpacked her stuffed trunk, pulled out her donut spare, and changed out her flat with semi-trailers and roadsters speeding past us at rush hour pace on the interstate.

Luckily, I was using my new Tom Tom gps, and was able to find the nearest tire store and it's phone number. We drove 5 minutes to get there (her donut was flat by the time we were pulling in to the Goodyear tire center in Sarasota. Apparently, it was dry rotted also), and we slapped 4 all-season radials on her Corolla.

What could be seen as a bad harbinger while just getting under way of a momentous trip, we chose to see as a fortuitous occurance. What if Pam had been driving for 8 or 10 hours when that blowout occured? Would she have been so road-weary that her reaction wouldn't have resulted the same way? Three days of 10-hour driving leaves you a little worn, to be sure.

We saw this as God making sure she was riding on safe tires for the long, tough trip ahead. And it was so. Her tires and car safely got us here in one piece.

Fort Myers In The Rear View

The water tower from Pam's neighborhood where she was born, raised, and lived until she left with me for new horizons.

Saying goodbye to "Leon". Leon was the Dell server used at Florida Cancer Specialists circa 2000. My boss there was getting rid of it and asked me if I wanted it. I said yes before I realized how heavy and useless it really was.

If I wasn't moving I really wouldn't mind keeping it as a conversation piece (includes tape back-up drive in the chasis), but life and fate forced me to lighten my load before I could find a better place for it.

I definitely recommend ABF if you're moving on a budget. We moved two (half) houses of belongings across the country for a little more than 2,500 bucks. To put it in perspective, my brother moved the equal amount of things using professional movers (who both packed and unpacked, plus hauling) for only a four-hour distance for almost twice the amount.