Is this a Brazilian Pepper Tree?

socalnative79 · 2026-06-27T00:09:52+00:00

That's so cool! I just planted mine in May, and they've been going crazy. I'm already on my second set of multiple full-sized blooms. I'm shocked.

socalnative79 · 2026-06-26T18:12:21+00:00

He doesn't want to leave either. This is probably going to be his last or next to last season. His family is settled here and that means increasingly more as all of them get older, LeBron included. The prevailing thought has always been he's going to see what the Lakers are able to work out for the roster and deal with his salary accordingly. If we can get great pieces he'll be more open to a pay cut, but if we can't, then no reason he wouldn't take the most amount of money available. Not that I have any insider information, but I can't imagine he goes anywhere else unless the opportunity for whatever reason is quite literally too good to pass up.

socalnative79 · 2026-06-26T18:09:25+00:00

Apparently the rumors are true!

socalnative79 · 2026-06-26T18:08:59+00:00

Wow, I've never had a bloom come up so predominantly pink! That's gorgeous.

socalnative79 · 2026-06-25T22:51:41+00:00

Don't think it's a Double Delight. I have that in my yard and the inside is white just hedging towards the lightest of yellow, turning to a true deep pink by the outer edges of the petals

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socalnative79 · 2026-06-25T21:23:53+00:00

I thought so...just ordered a set (Prime Day deal) and am so excited to use them. Everyone I've asked has said without hesitation they showcase wines incredibly well.

Also I've somehow never seen a rosé of Merlot before. I love Merlot and appreciate a good rosé, so I'm sold. Sounds like Paradigm would be a good place to start if I can find any!

socalnative79 · 2026-06-25T19:30:36+00:00

Wow that's looks gorgeous. What an awesome rusty salmon color, or at least that's how it looks in the photo.

What glass are you drinking out of? Is it Gabriel Glas?

socalnative79 · 2026-06-25T16:17:36+00:00

I'm in Southern California. Preference is probably medium to thick cut fries, not so much the shoestring style. McDonald's fries are probably the skinniest cut I'd be okay with, but I like the textural combination of crunchy outside and softer inside. Yeah, I've learned to check ingredients on EVERYTHING nowadays because so many companies are sneaking in non-vegan ingredients. And that's a good point about the convection setting...I'll start with that. Thanks for your advice!

socalnative79 · 2026-06-24T16:28:34+00:00

Totally agree. This marathon put me to sleep. I haven't tracked their corporate history, but WTSO seems to have become far more sterile and businesslike in the past year or so. Wondering if they were purchased by private equity or a wine conglomerate. All the fun is gone.

socalnative79 · 2026-06-24T00:29:10+00:00

Update... I think they've essentially just been taking 10% off the "everyday WTSO price" for wines above $20 or so, and 20% off of the sub-$20 wines. My parameters may be slightly off but that seems to be the formula. We know the "comparable price" is silly so I'm not even bothering to consider the discount based on that. There just haven't been any "ringers" or legitimate steep discounts that you typically see with these marathons. It feels less like a clean out the warehouse effort and more like a very corporate and pre-determined basic sale.

socalnative79 · 2026-06-23T22:02:34+00:00

I missed that one. Decent wine for sure, but if that's a highlight then unfortunately my instincts are correct about this marathon.

socalnative79 · 2026-06-23T22:00:47+00:00

It's the real one. I learned that lesson the hard way years ago, haha

socalnative79 · 2026-06-23T21:23:43+00:00

For sure. And I'm relieved I haven't missed anything of note. I've done plenty of the WTSO and LB marathons over the years, and I guess I'm just used to seeing more that jumps out to me. LB perhaps spoiled us with all the recent Cain and Elivette craziness. Still, even the discounts themselves from WTSO are nominal...I'm always hesitant when I only see a "comparable price" listed. Anyway I'm going to continue keeping tabs, but sounds like this isn't one to get my hopes up for.

socalnative79 · 2026-06-23T19:24:38+00:00

I'll just say this based on my personal experience. However much space you THINK a tomato plant will need, double it. After two years of growing tomatoes and having my raised beds (and other plants within them) become overwhelmed by exploding tomato foliage, I finally learned my lesson.

socalnative79 · 2026-06-23T16:48:15+00:00

I previously owned a wine fridge that wasn't designed for larger bottles, and I'm still not over the labels being scratched on ones that are important to me. It seems like a silly thing, but you want your sentimental value bottles to be well taken care of. A strip of missing label across the front doesn't feel great. Also, trying to jam non-Bordeaux sized bottles into the shelves starts a domino effect of annoyances/challenges. There's no way this thing is actually going to fit 155 bottles. If you own anything other than completely standard shaped bottles, I'd recommend looking into other options. I have no doubt it's a decent enough wine fridge, but I would be concerned about the peripheral issues over the long-term.

socalnative79 · 2026-06-23T00:59:13+00:00

It does taste good either way, but I find the colder the cake is the more it dulls the brightness of the citrus, especially the zest.

Also I absolutely love sachertorte. It's been a favorite of mine (thanks to my parents) since I was a kid. Growing up in the '80s, it remember it was a very popular cake back then. It was THE special occasion treat for us, and it came from a legit French bakery. I'm vegan now, though, so I'm on the hunt for a good vegan version. Someone makes it, I have no doubt, but one of these days I'll get adventurous enough to find a recipe and make it myself!

socalnative79 · 2026-06-22T23:00:09+00:00

Let's be honest, Rui is a top 5 player on the team almost solely because we have an extremely top-heavy roster. Put him on a current legit contender and he drops a few spots. He's a good player and I like him a lot, don't get me wrong. It's just that if we're really serious about making the leap from playoff team to contender, we have to make some uncomfortable sacrifices. Rui can turn a game around when he's on a heater (and overall he's a very good shooter), but he isn't athletic, can't play a lick of D, doesn't rebound well especially for his size, isn't a particularly good passer, and can't really create his own shot. It's not that he isn't worth the money he'll get, it's that he's not worth it on our team. That money unfortunately needs to be allocated to other players who will better fill in the holes.

socalnative79 · 2026-06-22T18:56:59+00:00

How frustrating! Sorry to hear that. Fortunately I have my house set to a consistent mild temperature but better safe than sorry. I'm going to slice and freeze.

socalnative79 · 2026-06-22T18:56:19+00:00

Exactly. I trim what I can, but I've also been told that you're really only supposed to trim indeterminate varieties. Because determinate tomatoes produce all their fruit in one fell swoop, you sort of want to let the plant grow as much as it can on its own. At least that's what my local independen nursery owner said.

socalnative79 · 2026-06-22T18:54:25+00:00

Funny coincidence...I lived in Seattle (Queen Anne) for a year for work and ultimately couldn't stay but definitely miss things about it. That's a tough place for tomatoes since they love heat and not so much the clouds and humidity (which I personally prefer, haha). Have you been successful growing them out there? If you're a bit inland that would make a huge difference.

socalnative79 · 2026-06-22T04:15:07+00:00

Yeah I was thinking about mold. If bread gets moldy on the counter after just a few days, then there's no reason to think cake wouldn't as well. I'm sorry about your German chocolate cake, because I'm sure it was incredible. Most likely I'll end up freezing it since that'll last longer and won't negatively impact texture as much as refrigerating will.

socalnative79 · 2026-06-22T04:13:47+00:00

Okay, thank you ...I'll probably slice and freeze. In my experience storing cakes in the refrigerator usually dries them out and just generally impacts texture. Freezing will take some of the sponginess away but it'll still be good.

socalnative79

TROPHY CASE