Tuesday, November 10, 2009

ARE YOU A KNOTHEAD AND OTHER RAMBLINGS

---Click on any photo to enlarge it---

The term knothead as I understand it is derived from first time visitors to South Florida who stand under Coconut or Avocado trees during moderate to high winds. The falling fruit bouncing off a tourists head besides making an audible "thonk ", leaves a noticeable swollen knot. Hence the slang heard from Florida natives," damn ,that guy is a real knothead".---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have an Avocado tree situated in my backyard garden. You can see in the above photo taken in October that it is loaded with fruit. You can also see in the above picture how severely I had to cut it to remove the shattered limbs after hurricane Wilma several years back.

With the gusting winds here yesterday several of the fruits were blown free from the tree. I put a ruler next to some to give you an idea of their size.

I don't know what type of Avocado that I have but I have read that there are over 500 different variety's. I just refer to mine as the Cannonball species due to their propensity for firing off the tree and producing large holes in my fiberglass back porch awning. My metal shed has also come under attack from these two pounders. Any late November hurricane virtually guarantees the siege will be on and these Cannonballs will be flying.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I figure if these guys had a load of black powder behind them they could really obtain some distance. Some pictures of cannon I took in Cartagena, Columbia this October. If you look at the bore size of these old cannon closely my two pounders would fit just fine.
Spain which owned Cartagena back in prior century's stored all of its loot pillaged from South America in this city.

Back in the 16th century Spain began building this wall with the cannon around the city of Cartagena. They had pirate problems as the pirates figured it was profitable to loot the city and steal the treasure. Spain kept their stolen loot inside the city until one of their treasure fleets could be put together to transport it across the sea to Spain. Seems to me they could have used some of my Cannonball Avocado's back then to ward off the pirate attacks on the city.
Undoubtedly if they had you would have heard the famous historical expression, "damn' them there pirates sure are knotheads". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyway enough history as I understand it.
My garden helper Yorkshire Terrier Odette. She became upset when I was taking pictures of the Cannonball two pounders in the grass. She claims every fallen Avocado as her property and she is very possessive.
------------------------------sanddune---------------------------------------------------------

4 comments:

  1. In Wilton Manors, where my house is, people come into the yard (un-invited) and steal the huge avacados and mangos in broad daylight!

    Great post! You are a traveler!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very funny article. sorry about the holes in the awning. Guess the 27 gallons of acorns that recently fell onto our deck is a mere childs play compared to these two pound canon balls.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jim,
    Besides my two dogs I babysit my son's dog. He is a German Sheppard and tops out at 105 lbs. To enter my back yard to steal the fruit would be very foolish. Besides I have so many Avocado's I give them away free to anyone who asks. Some times I put a bucket out by the road full of Avocados with a sign free take all You can use just please don't take my bucket. I have always gotten the bucket back.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Randy, Thanks for stopping by. At least I don't have to sweep acorns. That looks like work.

    ReplyDelete

Labels

. BLACK FLAMINGO PLANT (1) 2010 CHALLENGE (4) 2011 CHALLENGE (1) AECHMEA GAMSEPALA (2) ALOE VERA (2) AMARYLLIS (2) AMERICAN BEAUTYBERRY (4) ANGEL TRUMPET (2) ANHINGA (1) ANNA KOLB NATURE CENTER (1) ARENAL VOLCANO (1) ATTRACTING BIRDS (1) AUGUST DIVIDENDS (1) AVACADO'S (2) AVOCADO CANNONBALL (1) BALSAM APPLE (1) BAMBOO TOMATO STAKES (1) BEAST PROJECT (1) BEGONIA (2) BELL PEPPER (1) BELL PEPPER SEEDS (1) BEST BLOG AWARD (1) BIG BOY TOMATO (2) BIRD AREA (1) BIRD FEEDER (2) BIRD OF PARIDISE (1) BISCAYNE BAY (1) BLANKET FLOWER (3) BLUEJAY (1) BOUGAINVILLEA (3) BRASSAVOLA ORCHID (1) BRAZILIAN PLUME PINK FLAMINGO (1) BRICK PLANTERS (1) BROMELIAD PUPS (2) BROMELIADS BLOOM (1) BRUGSMANIA (1) BUG JUICE (1) BUTTERFLY BUSH (1) BUTTERFLY HOST PLANTS (1) BUTTERFLY UNK (1) CARDINAL AIR PLANT (4) CARDINAL CLIMBER VINE (1) CELEBRITY TOMATO (3) CEMENT BLOCK PLANTERS (2) CHEAP PLANT SHELF (1) CHENILLE PLANT (1) CHIEN XEN PEARLY ORCHID (3) CHIHULY GLASS SCULPTURES (1) CHRISMAS CACTUS (1) CHRISTMAS CACTUS (5) CHRISTMAS CASSIA (1) CLOUDS (1) COCONUT PALM (1) COFFEE GROUNDS (1) COMFREY (1) COMPOST (1) COMPOST MATERIAL (1) CONTAINER FIVE GALLON BUCKETS (4) COSTA RICA (3) CROSSANDRA BLOOM (1) CROSSANDRA SEEDS (1) CROTON (4) CUBAN BUTTERCUPS (2) CUCUMBER (2) CUTTINGS (2) DAMAGED LEAVES (1) DENDROBIUM ORCHID (4) DENDROBIUM ORCHIDS (1) DESERT ROSE PLANT (3) DESERT ROSE SEEDPODS (1) DOVES (2) DWARF BOLERO MARIGOLD (1) EARTH DAY (1) EL JEFFE ROHO GRANDE (1) EL NINO. BLACK FLAMINGO PLANT (1) ELKHORN (1) EPOXY (1) EPSOM SALTS (1) ETHANOL IN YOUR GAS (1) EVERGLADES TOMATO (5) EVIL EYE (1) FERTILIZER FOR TOMATO (1) FIRST TOMATO (1) FLORIDA NATIVES (1) FOUROCLOCK PLANTS (2) FREE (1) FREE IDEAS THAT WORK (1) FREE ORCHIDS (2) FREECYCLE (2) FRUGAL GARDENING (2) FUNGICIDE (1) GARDEN RULES FOR 2010 (1) GARDENIA (1) GARDENING OMENS (1) GERANIUM (1) GIANT BAMBOO (1) GOING ORGANIC (1) GOOD OMEN (1) GRAMPA OTT MORNING GLORY (5) GRAND DOG (1) GUATEMALA (2) GULF FRITILLARY BUTTERFLY (2) HALF CUT LAWN (1) HANGING BASKET (2) HANOVER SHOTGUN (1) HELICONIA (1) HILLBILLY ORCHID (3) HOMEMADE HANGING BASKET (1) HOT THAI PEPPER SPROUT (1) HOYA COMPACTA (1) HURRICANE SEASON (1) IGUANA (1) INDIAN BLANKET FLOWER (1) INDIAN ROPE PLANT (1) JAMAICA.SPANISH BRIDGE (1) JUBILEE TOMATO (2) KALACHOES (1) KNOTHEAD (1) LANTANA BLOOM (3) LANTANA BUSH (4) LAWN CLIPPINGS RECYCLED (1) LAWN GRUBS (1) LAWN MOWER REPAIRS (1) LAWN STORKS (1) LIZARD (1) LIZARD EGGS (1) LONG PRIDE FANCY ORCHID (1) MAKING IT LAST (2) MAKING WIRE CAGES (1) MANDEVILLA BLOOM (2) MANDEVILLA VINE (3) MANGROVE (1) MANURE TEA (1) Marigolds (2) MATCHSTICK BROMELIAD (1) MEXICAN SUNFLOWER (1) MILKWEED (1) MIMOSA TREE (3) MONARCH BUTTERFLY (1) MOONFLOWER FREEZE DAMAGE (1) MOONFLOWER SEEDS (3) MORNING GLORY (1) MOWER MAKEOVER (1) MUD BARRIER (2) MUTANT MARIGOLD (1) MY GOALS (1) MYSTERY YELLOW BUSH SPROUT (1) nashturtiums (1) NASTURTIUM (3) NEEM TREE (2) NEMATODES (1) NEWSPAPER MULCH (2) Newspaper seed starter pot (1) NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD (1) ORGANIC BUG CONTROL EXPERIMENT (1) PARK"S PEARL CUCUMBERS (1) PASSION VINE (4) PERCEPTION POLL (1) PERMACULTURE IDEAS (1) PHALAENOPSIS ORCHID (4) PINEAPPPLE BROMELIADS (1) PLANT CAGES (1) PLANT MARKERS (1) PLANT PARLAY (1) PLANT PROTECTION (1) PLANTING MOONFLOWER SEED (1) PLANTING OUT SPROUTS (1) PLASTIC GREENHOUSE (1) PLUMOSA VINE (1) POLECATS (1) POOR MAN'S COMPOST BIN (2) POTTED CUTTINGS (1) PRIMER COAT (1) PVC SEED COLLARS (1) RAIN WATER SAVER (1) RAINWATER (2) RAISED BED GARDEN (1) RAISED BED PLANTER (1) RECYCLED (1) REPAIRING LAWNMOWER (1) REUSING MATERIALS (1) RINGNECK DOVES (1) RUELLA (1) RUSSIAN COMFREY (2) RUSTIC GARDEN FENCE (1) SAVING SEEDS (1) SEA GRAPE (2) SEAWEED (1) SEED STARTER MIX (1) SETTING GOALS (1) SHADE PLANT (1) SHADE TREE RING OF DEATH (1) SHIBUMI (1) SHRIMP PLANT (4) Southern Collards (3) SPIDER LILLY (1) STAINING FOR EFFECT (1) STARTING SEEDS (2) STOWAWAY PLANTS (1) STUMP ART (1) SUMMER SQUASH (1) SUNFLOWER (2) SUNFLOWER SEEDS (1) SWAMP BUSH (3) TABACON RESORT (1) tactful correction (1) TEMPATURE GUAGE (1) THAI HOT PEPPER (1) THERMAL HOT SPRINGS (2) THINKING FORWARD (1) TILLANDSIA FASCICULATA (1) TIRODS (1) TODAY AND TOMORROW PLANT (1) TOMATO PLANTS (1) Tomato seedlings (1) TORTUGUERO NATIONAL PARK (1) TULIP SPROUTS (1) TULIPS (2) VANDA ORCHID (1) VANDA PAKCHONG BLUE ORCHID (1) VETERANS DAY (1) WATER MELON (2) WATER STORAGE (1) WESTLAKE PARK (1) WHAT IS IT CONTEST (1) WHITE PEACOCK BUTTERFLY (3) WHITE RIVER (1) WOODEN HANGING BASKET (1) wormhole (1) YESTERDAY (1) YOGURT CUPS (3) YORKSHIRE TERRIER (1) ZEBRA LONGWING (3) ZEN OF GARDENING (1) ZINNIAS (2)

statcounter