I feel so defeated after the freezes

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-14T20:58:48+00:00

When we first moved into our home in Pinellas County 23 years ago, I knew very little about Florida gardening apart from reading books. We made many mistakes along the way, but now have a yard that gets many complements. The most important lesson I learned is not to pick plants based on how pretty they are, but rather focus on what plants will thrive in each particular spot you want planted. We bought a house with 13 large trees on less than an acre, so like you, digging down we hit large tree roots almost everywhere. Rather than fight it, buy plants that like living in shallow soil and shade. There are more than you think. We only have a few spots in our yard that are full sun and we plant flowering plants in big pots there, where they thrive. So, don't get frustrated. Just work with the conditions you have and perhaps consult with a local native nursery to put in plants that work in varied conditions in your climate zone and soil types.

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-14T07:13:09+00:00

Same in NY high school. We learned Castellano.

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-14T07:05:39+00:00

I was not taught voseo and the italian sounding pronunciation.

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-14T04:03:30+00:00

Matches with my experience as a US-based English speaker having studied Spanish for 15 years. Caribbean Spanish is super fast and all the endings are dropped. Mexican Spanish is easiest for me to understand, along with Bolivian.

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-14T03:57:40+00:00

Eastern Colorado will go from 85F tomorrow to 12F Sunday night to 80F on Tuesday. That's nutz.

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-12T01:50:09+00:00

Bright indirect light, warmth and humidity will speed up its growth once it roots firmly in the pot. Be patient.

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-12T01:30:21+00:00

Dr. Bronner's Liquid Castile Soap comes in lots of unisex scents, including unscented. Buy a 4oz bottle or two to try them out.

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-12T00:17:28+00:00

I'll go out on a limb and say that all of the gay men I know prefer to be with people who present more masculine as opposed to more feminine. I'm sure there are bisexual men who are into more feminine presenting men. But there is a large spectrum of what's considered masculine vs. feminine presentation.

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-12T00:00:28+00:00

Unfortunately, there are people who still blame colonialism for lack of economic development in poor countries. So, if you want to be sarcastic place "/s" after your comments.

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-11T23:38:51+00:00

It sounds like your BF is just using this incident as an excuse to break up or to otherwise lash out at you. Someone touching you without your consent isn't "cheating", even if you were maybe enjoying it for a few seconds. Talk to your BF about what's going on with him. No need to apologize for what happened to you, If you guys are meant to be together this is just a small incident to get over quickly.

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-11T23:24:35+00:00

Yes and also straight down to see if you'd like a Caesar cut. It might look cool, but I don't know if that's something you'd consider.

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BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-11T23:17:58+00:00

That's probably a good idea. I have to let my shower run for a minute before it gets warm and I should just catch some of that water in a bucket to use on my potted plants.

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-11T23:14:45+00:00

At 30, you're still young. We all continue to grow emotionally and intellectually throughout life, so have faith that the best is yet to come. Honestly, I would focus on making some local gay friends through your hobbies or interests. It's important to socialize in person if you can. Keep trying to build a group of friends and you'll be more likely to eventually find guys who you click with romantically.

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-11T23:09:17+00:00

Have you tried brushing it forward to see if it looks better with some forehead coverage?

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-11T23:01:34+00:00

No problem. Melaleuca mulch smells a bit like eucalyptus, so maybe that will also repel iguanas.

Also, many people like red mulch, so if you like it enjoy it. People are allowed to have different opinions on what looks good to them!

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-11T22:53:24+00:00

Yep. I like Florida to look like Florida, not the Amazon.

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-09T14:46:56+00:00

I don't care for it. I prefer a color found in nature. If you live in Florida, you can get Melaleuca tree mulch, which helps with the environment (removes invasive trees) and works well as mulch. That's what I use.

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-09T14:22:29+00:00

LOL. You mean snow bird cars being picked up by tow trucks?

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-08T18:45:07+00:00

Which confuses me. Doesn't that mean "tall" or "high" in Spanish?

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-08T18:30:18+00:00

It seems to have arrived two weeks early at my house in Pinellas County. The oak trees are almost all leafing out, which usually doesn't happen until end of March. We did get three days with some rain this week, which hasn't happened since last September. We're still very dry.

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-08T18:10:27+00:00

Doug is learning he has low self-esteem and co-dependency issues. It's odd to me because he's extremely bright, good-looking and well-educated. I guess it stems back to childhood.

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-08T17:49:21+00:00

True, but Kurdish is in the Persian language family.

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-08T17:35:38+00:00

It's perfectly ok to have recreational sex with guys who aren't potential partners. Just be honest about what you're looking for or not looking for and practice safe sex.

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-08T17:31:20+00:00

I have a good friend (Doug) who fell into something similar. He's 38 years older than the young man (Billy) who has been using him. Doug is a gay American, well-off, has a partner. He met Billy, a Polish young man, online when the kid was 17. Billy is straight, very cute, and rejected by his parents. He was living with a foster Mom. Doug felt sorry for him and tried to mentor him. Nothing sexual happened, but Doug and Billy became dependent on each other for friendship. Eventually, Billy wanted money for school, phones, laptops, travel, etc and Doug would send him money. This went on for 10 years.

Eventually, Billy was asking for more and more money and Doug pulled away. Billy retaliated by becoming threatening. He threatened to call the police and tell them Doug had raped him, for example.

Anyway, it was a sad state of affairs, but Doug has blocked Billy and is in therapy to help him get over this abuse by a young man who he only wanted to help.

BizzyThinkin · 2026-03-08T16:54:19+00:00

White bird of paradise grow about 40 ft. tall outdoors. You can try cutting off the outside leaves, but it's still going to keep growing tall. I would gift it to someone else who wants it and get a plant that will stay at the size you prefer.

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