A Story -"All in a Day's Work" and a small watercolour to brighten a winter's day.

A Story

All In a Day's Work

The small apartment at the seniors' residence was comfortable but it certainly wasn't his old home.  Gerald, a recently bereaved widower, had suffered a stroke that left him needing extra care.

Melody, the nurse, made him feel welcome.  He looked forward to her smiles and her gentle jokes.  Slowly he began to realize that he was falling in love with her.  Even though she was married, he fantasized that they were in a loving relationship.

He changed his will.

After Gerald died, Melody got a call from his lawyer.  A big cheque was coming.

"Easy, peasy," she chuckled to herself.

A public garden with some nice bright summer flowers. Some colour to enliven a winter's day.

 

The view out the window.  It's been a pretty snowy winter and we are expecting about a foot of snow tomorrow.  Not that unusual but it does mean extra work to deal with it.

A Poem "In Recognition of my Aging Body" and Mini African Violet

A Poem

In Recognition of my Aging Body

Like an old stretched sweater,

My sagging arms hang by my bulgy sides.

Age spots masquerade as chocolate stains

On my wrinkled rough hands.

Scarred, lumpy-veined legs

End in worn scuffed feet.

Poor old body that's been with me

All the way.  Thank you.

This cute little African violet is only about 3" across.  It has been bred to stay as a mini.  I bought it last year at Walmart not realizing that it would stay small. I really like its petiteness.  It sits nicely on the windowsill and it's just really cute.  It came in a little plastic pot that comes apart at the middle so you can water it from below.  It grows just like any other African violet except it grows very slowly. 

African violets don't like to be overwatered, they can handle being a bit dry from time to time.  I only fertilize them when they are blooming with a liquid all-purpose fertilizer once every few weeks. This one sits happily on a south windowsill during the winter but as the sun gets stronger I will move it back a couple of feet from the window so it doesn't get scorched. 

I really enjoy my winter blooming indoor plants.

A Story - "The Gourmet's Wine" and Kalanchoe in January

A Story

The Gourmet's Wine

Every weekend Vivienne invited friends over for a gourmet meal.  Her menus followed the Mediteranean diet.  Desserts were fresh fruit.  She was pleased that she was feeding her guests healthy food.  She always served organic wine from a small vineyard.  No beer, no hard liquor, and, definitely, no soft drinks.

During the week, she bought and tasted various specialty wines so she could determine the perfect pairing for the food.

When she began to feel ill, she saw her doctor.  The shocking diagnosis was cirrhosis of the liver.

"Alcohol is alcohol no matter how pretty the packaging," the doctor said sadly. 

 

Kalanchoe can bring a bright pop of colour to the dull days of January.  The blooms will last for weeks, and sometimes months.  They like a bright window and not too much water as they are succulents.

To get them to rebloom after their rest period during the summer months, they need to have at least 12 hours of darkness each day.  I put mine on the windowsill and draw a heavy curtain across so that the light from the inside of the house is blocked from the plant.  They don't mind a chilly windowsill. As our days in zone 4 naturally get shorter in the fall, the kalanchoe get the required amount of darkness. They usually set buds in December and are blooming in January.  I give them a bit of fertilizer every 2 or 3 weeks when they are blooming.

Kalanchoe are super easy to propogate.  Simply take a piece of stem - 3-4" long, strip off lower leaves and plant in some soil.  This works best in the spring and summer. If plants are getting too leggy, just prune them back to the size you want and they will send out new branching shoots.

Happy New Year - Some Ideas for Staying Positive.

 Another year. In Canada, the new year comes when the days are still short and often dull.  Good time to think of some ways to stay positive going forward.

The most important one is to read the Bible as it will give you the macro picture that will help you understand your life and the world in general. If you haven't read the Bible before, I suggest you start with the New Testament.  The first book of the NT is the book of Matthew.  If you don't have a Bible, Bible Gateway is an online resource that has multiple translations of the Bible and a search function.

In no particular order, here are some other ideas.

Get out in nature.  Going for walks is great because it combines exercise and being in nature.  Even if you live in a city, you can find birds, trees, perhaps water elements. Cornell University has a great site called All About Birds. Knowing more about the birds makes it all the more interesting.

Get light early in the day. I have to feed my horse so I am out as soon as it is light at this time of year. A shot of daylight will always brighten your mood and being outside in the morning helps to set your circadian rhythm and promotes better sleep.

Find some nice music.  Youtube now has many channels that stream lovely music.  I have been enjoying Tim Janis.

Find some ways to work your brain. I have started doing jigsaw puzzles more regularly.  They work your brain in  surprisingly varied ways . I do mostly 500 pieces so they don't take too long to do. I enjoy the Cobble Hill puzzles. I chose ones that have bright colours and a cheerful subject.

Try writing on a regular basis. It helps to organize your thoughts.

Make soup. Relaxing to prepare and soothing to eat.  Lots of recipes online.

Give yourself mini activities : I challenged myself to draw for 5 minutes a day, I do stretches when I am waiting for food to heat on the stove, I knit while I talk on the phone or watch TV. If you are trying to declutter, toss 1 or 2 items a day.

Find a regular activity that includes people. A book club? An exercise program? Volunteering at the dog shelter? Some churches sponsor regular luncheons.

Learn the art of distraction. Teach yourself to redirect when you are upset about something. Find an activity that takes all your attention and do it when your thoughts are getting out of control. Something as simple as doing a crossword puzzle can help to break the negative spin.

Garden inside and out.  Don't worry if your plants die. Just enjoy them while they last. I always find starting seeds a fascinating experience.  Lots of videos on Youtube.  Epic Gardening is a helpful one.

Life is good.  Don't let the doomsayers drag you down. Life is good.

A Story - "Christmas Break" and Festive Beet Parsnip Soup

A Story

Christmas Break

"Help!" screamed the cashier as Tom crashed to the floor.

He regained consciousness in the ambulance.  His head pounded, his hip shouted.

"You fell when your hip broke.  You hit your head hard on the floor.  Sadly, you'll still be here at Christmas."

Tom settled into the hospital routine.  The nurses were kind.  The housekeeping woman shared stories about her silly cat.  Volunteers stopped by, sang carols.  A friendly therapy dog greeted him.

Christmas morning, he sipped his coffee, nibbled his toast.  He was thankful he's broken his hip.

For the first time in many years, he wasn't celebrating alone.

I had some beet parsnip soup at a lunch lately and thought I would give it a go.  The soup I made is thinner  but I find parsnip is a potent flavour and I wanted a soup that was milder tasting than the one I had at the lunch. The photo makes the soup look like the colour of tomato soup but in real life, the soup is much pinkier - a very pretty shade.  You could swirl in a bit of sour cream to jazz it up.

Festive Beet Parsnip Soup

2 medium beets (1 1/2 to 2" in diameter) - cooked and diced.  I boiled mine but you could also roast them. You could also used canned baby beets.

1 fairly large parsnip - peeled and cut up.

1 apple - peeled or unpeeled.  I used Mckintosh but any kind would do.

1/4 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp dried parsley or 2 tsp fresh

3 cups of liquid . I just used water but you could use chicken or vegetable stock.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer together for 30 min. Blend into a puree.  Serve topped with parsley.

I hope you all enjoy this Christmas season in whatever way is meaningful to you.

 

A Story - "Horse Healer" and December Blooming Gerbera Daisies

 A Story

The Horse Healer

When Kelly bought Buster, she knew he had issues so she hired a good horse trainer.  Over time, Buster learned to trust Kelly and the trainer but he didn't like others getting in his space.

One day, a woman horse healer came by.

"You're a good boy, Buster.  I am taking away all your hurt from the past."

Buster stuck his head out over the stall, ears forward, sniffing curiously.

Kelly was impressed.  Maybe this woman was healing Buster's emotional wounds.

Later, Buster remembered the lovely scent of the healer's shampoo - floral, hay, sweet clover.

Couldn't stand the woman.

Last summer I bought some gerbera daisies when the plants went on sale. I left them in their pots and grew them on my part-sun deck.  They grew well and bloomed repeatedly. I read on the Internet that they are perennials in mild climates and so I decided to try to over winter them in my basement which is cool and dry. I brought them in in September and only watered them very lightly. In fact, so lightly that I thought I had killed them all because their leaves went yellow and crispy. But when I checked carefully, I could see they were still barely alive.  Then I accidentally watered them more than usual and suddenly green leaves popped up as well as two flower stems. 

I brought up the two plants with flower stems to the main floor so that they would get some heat and light.

Now I have two lovely flowers to enjoy in the dark days of December.  The other pots did not send out flower stems but they are still growing very slowly in their low light, dry environment of the basement. I am trying to give them a rest period during the winter.  In April, I will put them in bright light, give them a feed and I should have some nice flowers by the end of May.

It is important that they not get too much water in the rest period or they will rot, but once they are actively growing regular watering is good. They will make more than one crown in the summer and so you can easily divided the plants. They prefer full sun but mine grew fine in morning sun. They come in lots of vibrant colours and make a lovely addition to pots or garden beds. I didn't have any trouble with insect pests.

A Story - "Soul Music" and Indoor Lettuce

A Story

Soul Music

The radio host tried to convince the audience that the song he was going to play was good, heartfelt, inspiring.  No, no, no.

I sighed.  Where was the emotion?  The joy, sadness, anger, love?  I missed the days of raw original music not generated by computers.

I pulled up to the church. A friend's son had died.

As a prelude to the funeral, a fiddler soulfully played Scottish laments.  Tears pricked eyes.  The older man next to me dabbed his nose with a tissue.

Old hymns were sung reminding us of grace, hope, love.

We left nourished, comforted, healed.

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed some lettuce seedlings in the garden.  They were in really good shape even though we have had some frosts.  I planted up a few of them  and put them under my small grow light. They grew so well I decided to plant some seeds in a container. They sprouted in a day and began growing really nicely. I won't have enough lettuce for a big salad but certainly enough for adding to sandwiches. I've already picked some leaves.  I fertilize with all purpose liquid fertilizer every watering - about once a week.  They are planted in garden soil not potting soil but any kind of soil would do.

I'm so pleased with how this is going that I plan on making regular seedings over the course of the winter. It will be nice to have some fresh home-grown produce and it will save a little bit of money.

This lettuce is a leaf lettuce with red markings that grows very well in the outside garden as well.