Totoro book bag

My Neighbor Totoro is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film tells the story of the two young daughters (Satsuko and Mei) of a professor and their interactions with friendly wood spirits in postwar rural Japan. The film won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize and the Mainichi Film Award for Best Film in 1988.
In 1958 Japan, university professor Tatsuo Kusakabe and his two daughters, Satsuki and Mei, move into an old house to be closer to the hospital where their mother Yasuko is recovering from a long-term illness. Satsuki and Mei find that the house is inhabited by tiny animated dust creatures called susuwatari—small, dark, dust-like house spirits seen when moving from light to dark places.  When the girls become comfortable in their new house and laugh with their father, the soot spirits leave the house to drift away on the wind. It is implied that they are going to find another empty house—their natural habitat.
One day, Mei sees two white, rabbit-like ears in the grass and follows the ears under the house. She discovers two small magical creatures who lead her through a briar patch and into the hollow of a large camphor tree. She meets and befriends a larger version of the same kind of spirit, which identifies itself by a series of roars that she interprets as "Totoro".   Despite her many attempts, Mei is unable to show her family Totoro's tree. Her father comforts her by telling her that this is the "keeper of the forest," and that Totoro will reveal himself when he wants to.
My Neighbor Totoro helped bring Japanese animation into the global spotlight, and set its writer-director Hayao Miyazaki on the road to success. The film's central character, Totoro, is as famous among Japanese children as Winnie-the-Pooh is among British ones.

Split stone succulents

Lithops thrive best in a coarse, well-drained substrate. Any soil that retains too much water will cause the plants to burst their skins as they over-expand. Plants grown in strong light will develop hard strongly coloured skins which are resistant to damage and rot, although persistent overwatering will still be fatal. Excessive heat will kill potted plants as they cannot cool themselves by transpiration and rely on staying buried in cool soil below the surface.
Lithops occur naturally across wide areas of Namibia and South Africa, as well as small bordering areas in Botswana and possibly Angola, from sea level to high mountains. I got these at Home Depot.

Dendrobium Unicum

A nice miniature plant that likes to be wood mounted and needs warm conditions through the summer growth season but cool to warm and drier in the winter and spring and has clustered, small stems carrying 2 to 3, apical, narrow, persistent leaves and blooms in the later spring and early summer on axillary, short [1 to 2"], raceme that arises from near and at the apex of leafed and leafless canes with up to 4 fragrant flowers. It is found in Vietnam, Laos, Burma and Thailand in evergreen, in semi-deciduous and deciduous dry lowland forests and savana-like woodlands at elevations of 800 to 1550 meters and is found on rocks and small bushes.

Vanilla bean orchid

There are 100 species of vanilla orchid, a vine which can get up to 300 feet in length, but in home cultivation the plant will likely only grow a fraction of its potential. As a climbing plant, vanilla bean orchids will need a support, such as a sturdy stake or a wall, to climb on. The roots that emerge from the vining stem, which are called air roots, attach to the support to climb up and over it. These orchids require almost no pruning, unless the plant has become too large.

Copper Scarab Oncidium

Oncidiums’ large pseudo-bulbs and profuse roots make them prone to rot and yet during the growing season they should be watered frequently. Striking the balance between keeping the plant adequately hydrated and dry all while avoiding root rot makes caring for orchids in the Oncidium genus challenging. Oncidium orchid care must include abundant light and definite dry periods between watering.

tolumnia genting leopard

One of the few truly miniature orchids. This little guy is going to be mounted in a giant tree fern planter, so he will need a saucer or a home out doors. Tolumnias are truly epiphytes and must be grown in a fast draining media to avoid rotting the tiny roots. These charming miniature Dancing Lady orchids are native to the Caribbean and surrounding areas, including the Bahamas, Cuba, Florida, and Puerto Rico.

Cactus

Road to recovery

This orchid was doing very poorly, having lost all but one leaf and most of its root system due to root rot. Tell tale signs were limp wrinkled leaves, mushy roots, dropped flowers, and a fruit fly problem. I unpotted the orchid, trimmed back all but three good looking (green) roots, and deployed the sphag and bag method. Three months later I have two new leaves and new root growth. I will replant the orchid as soon as the new leaves get a little larger.

Totoro 3

Totoro 2

Totoro Towel

Here are the during and after photos for my new bathroom towel.  I plan to do two more.