A Story - "The Christmas Exchange" and Poinsettia

 Story

The Christmas Exchange

The Christmas gift exchange for the adults was organized by the efficient oldest daughter using a random selection program that ensured that no one received a gift from someone they were giving to.  The creative son got mixed up and gave a gift to the wrong couple who then fretted that they were expected to reciprocate.  But what about the exchange rules? It was discovered that younger daughter didn't get a gift.  Quick! An e-gift card for her favourite store.  "Are these my chocolates?"

Christmas is always full of fruitcake.

I bought this bright poinsettia a couple of weeks ago.  One year, I kept a poinsettia growing over the summer and then did several weeks of short days by covering it with a garbage bag to trigger the formation of the red bracts.  It did make some red bracts but all in all it was disappointing.  I had a big awkward plant and not much colour.  So I have decided to let the greenhouse growers do their magic and I simply buy a fresh plant each Christmas and throw it out when the red bracts are finished.  Lovely pink and cream coloured ones are also available. A collection of all three colours, if you have room for that many plants, makes a nice decorative arrangement. 

A Story - "The Next Chapter". and Beet Carrot Corn Salad

 This story is a Covid-time story inspired by outside church services that took place when people were not allowed to gather inside a church.

The Next Chapter

Puffed clouds nestled in the cerulean sky.  A breeze wafted by, uplifting a monarch butterfly and a sparkler of plant fluff.  Mrs. Graves sat in the shade of an ornamental crab apple tree polka-dotted with crimson fruit.  Spaced out around were her fellow church members.  The pastor's mellow voice blended with melodic bird songs.

Suddenly Mrs. Graves' chair crashed over; the pastor froze mid-word.

A few days later, Mrs. Graves was buried in the graveyard across the road among the mossy crooked tombstones that she had gazed at for weeks of Sundays, the next chapter of her life beginning.

Beet Carrot Corn Salad

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cups cooked (boiled or baked) diced beets

1 1/2 cups cooked (boiled or baked) diced carrots. Only cook carrots until they are lightly softened - boil    5  min.

1 cup cooked corn. I used frozen.  Fresh or canned would work, too.

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp black pepper

Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together and top with salad dressing such as ranch or vinaigrette.

This blend of vegetables is also tasty heated up and served as a warm vegetable mix.

A Story - "Waves" - Spiced Carrot Sweet Potato Soup , dried Parsley

 A Story:

Waves

Life was so grey.  Work so dull.

Alicia hoped a Maine seaside holiday would recharge her.  Today the ocean, at high tide, was calm, and the hot sand had warmed the water enough to make it swimmable.  She swam lazily, the gentle waves rocking her, the saltwater buoying her.  But she didn't want to be lulled, she wanted excitement.

A plastic bottle, something inside, slowly drifted near her.  Curious she grabbed it and swam to shore.  She extracted a note: "The waves will find you, my special love.  Call:  Liam, 222-333-444

Alicia gasped and whipped out her phone.

Spiced Carrot Sweet Potato Soup

1/2 medium onion, chopped

3 medium large carrots

1 sweet potato

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese

Saute the chopped onion in oil or butter.

Add 3 cups water, carrots (peeled and diced), and sweet potato ( peeled and diced)

Simmer until the carrots and sweet potato are soft - about 20 min.

Add the ginger and cinnamon, salt and pepper, and simmer for another 10 min.

Blend with a hand blender or mash with a potato masher.

Ladle into bowl and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

This soup is creamy and smooth and taste a lot like pumpkin pie.

I like to dry my parsley in the refrigerator.  After rinsing it, I place it in a paper lunch bag or, in this case, some paper towel.  The parsley keeps its dark green colour while it dries. I find if I try to dry parsley just by hanging it in the air, it gets yellow.  In the fridge, it will take the parsley a couple of weeks to be fully dry. When I use a paper bag, I make sure that I don't overfill it. If I have lots of parsley, I use multiple bags.

A Story - "The Well-worn Shoes" and Lentil Vegetable Soup

A story:

The Well-Worn Shoes

The white sneakers were noticeably creased, grass stained, scuffed toed.  Marley picked them up, studied the worn soles.  The shoes were a testament to a life lived richly, generously, fearlessly.

Just four days ago, her mother had died. In life, she had always taken her time lacing up her shoes as she pondered where they would take her, who she would see.  Her acts were lovingly thoughtful, appropriate.

Marley felt the weight of the shoes as her mind swirled with memories.  Her mother's legacy would always be with her.  Bending over, Marley put on her mother's shoes, laced them tight, and walked into life.

                                  The  amounts are suggestions.  Soup is very flexible.

 Lentil Vegetable Soup

1 small onion

3 medium tomatoes (I used frozen from my garden)

1/2 green zucchini

1 large carrot

1/2 cup sweet pepper - any colour

2 cups dried red lentils

Saute the onion in a tablespoon of butter or oil of your choice.  Add 3 cups water.

Add chopped carrot, chopped zucchini, chopped sweet pepper.

Add tomatoes - I would use peeled tomatoes. Canned are already peeled, and frozen are easily skinned by running them under hot water and slipping the skin off.

Bring to boil, then simmer for 30 -45 minutes.  Season with salt, pepper, and any herbs you feel like. I used Greek oregano but thyme, parsley, marjoram, sage would all work well alone or in combination.

Simmer a bit longer to let the herbs flavour the soup.

If the soup is thinner than you like, simply simmer until more water evaporates.

Pair the soup with a sandwich and you have a substantial lunch that will get you through the afternoon.

A Story -"The Invisible Woman" and interesting Fungi, and pretty Mare and Foal

 A story:

The Invisible Woman

At the restaurant, elderly Patricia spied two Italian-suited middle-aged men sitting a couple of tables away from her.  They kept leaning towards each other, speaking in low voices.  Patrica turned up her hearing aid until she could hear what they were saying.

"We need to get rid of the Attorney General.  He won't work with us."

"Georgio can do the job."

Shocked, Patricia turned on audio record on her phone.  As they were leaving, she discreetly took photos.

She e-mailed her information to the police.

The puzzled looks on the men's faces when they were arrested, made her smile.

This fungi looks like layered rock.  Very attractive design.

With doom and gloom in the news,  I think it's nice to see a peaceful picture of this lovely mare and her foal.  This is a picture I took a few years ago. The horse belonged to my neighbour.

Another month to the shortest day and then we turn the corner.  Take care.

A Story - "the Unwanted Guest" and Cabbage Pear Salad

A story:

The Unwanted Guest

When they arrived, Joe wrapped Mom in a big hug, then exclaimed, "You look amazing."

Mom blushed and tittered.  Dad beamed, "Welcome, Son."

Sarah, Joe's wife, noticed the guest. "Bigoted man, drinking his Coke, judging us all. What a fraud."

Glaring at him, she strode to the table.  Joe helped her get seated.

After blessing the food, the unwanted guest prayed, "God comfort the sad, the frightened, the weary."

His heart's voice flowed like golden sherry. Sarah's face flushed.  Her heart gave a pound.  Her tears without warning spilled, erasing her make-up, exposing the purple and blue.

Cabbage salad 

 I'm trying out a new cabbage salad - my own version.  It has cabbage, pear, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries.

1 1/2 cup shredded cabbage

1 pear - any kind

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix together with mayonnaise to taste.

You could also add a little bit of green onion, some sweet pepper, and a mix of green and red cabbage would be nice.

A Story - "The Event". and thoughts on Leaves with White Markings

 A story:

The Event

Philip had been training for months.  Today was the day.  To warm up, he did some deep knee bends, waved his arms, stomped his fancy running shoes.  Mom gave him a high five.  Dad waited at the finish line.

Ready, set, go!  Philip was off.  Dad cheered wildly.

"Go, Phil, go!"

Mom held her breath as he charged along.

"Halfway there!"

They gasped as he wobbled.  Digging deep, Philip found his second wind and pushed to the end.

"Yeah! You made it!"

Grinning, Philip plopped down on his diaper-padded bottom.  He'd completed his first solo totter across the living room.

The acidentera bulbs and calla lily tubers that I got for free at the beginning of September have been growing quite well.  They were outside  on the deck for September and October, and only came in last week when we had frost.  I don't think the calla lily will bloom as the fall sun isn't very strong but I am pleased at how many leaves grew.  I will let it dry down now and give it a dormant spell December through February.  The acidentera should have bloomed as most bulbs have enough energy stored to bloom once but I'm not optimistic on that front.  Anyway, it makes some nice bright greenery at a dull time of year.  I will just throw the acidentera out when they have finished growing as the bulbs will be exhausted from being forced.  They are in water with some fertilizer.

I was looking at the calla leaves and realized that the white markings aren't actually white but are simply places where the leaves lack interior material.  Where it looks white, there is a thin leaf membrane on both top and bottom but nothing in between.

The lamium and the pulmonaria are different from the calla.  They both have a uniform leaf with the outer top layer having variation in colour.  Although the pulmonaria spots look white,  they are actually greyish and are very similar in colour to the back of the leaves. The pulmonaria also has hairs all over the leaves.

I was also thinking about plants that need resting periods.  Why do they? How do they know when it has been a long enough rest? Why does it sometimes have to be cold? So many things we don't know about plants.

All around us nature is amazing.

A story - "Special Talents" - and Cabbage Salad and Freezing Celery

 A story:

Special Talents

It was a casual invitation but Lisa felt like making a special effort.  She put on her outfit:  grey dress pants, lavender cashmere sweater, pearl earrings.

"Not too shabby," she complimented herself.  Her children were impressed.

Six other moms came with their children for the gab fest with finger foods.  Lisa smugly surveyed the other moms: yoga pants, baggy tops, hair roots showing.

Suddenly a friend's son tugged on Lisa's arm.  "Come."  Intrigued, she followed him.

Soon she had worked her magic.  The boy grinned enthusiastically at her and exclaimed, "I knew you could unblock the toilet."

We had an inch of snow on the ground this morning. I thought a colourful salad would be nice to brighten up the day.  Here's more or less what I put in it.

               1 cup chopped red cabbage

               3/4 cup chopped celery

               1 chopped apple -  I used a MacIntosh

               1/4 cup pecan halves

                2 very small carrots - 1 yellow, 1 orange

                Mayonnaise to desired taste - about 2 tbsp.

                You could also add some yellow and red peppers, some onion, sunflower seeds.

                I should have garnished it with some parsley but I forgot.

Even though we had snow, we did not get frost.  Sometimes when the temperature is right around 0C, that happens.  Anyway, I pulled  the last of the celery out of the garden.  That really is the end of the garden.  I kept some fresh in the fridge but blanched (about 3 min) and froze the rest.  When I have chunks of vegetables like this celery or diced peppers, I put them in a large freezer bag and spread them out flat.  Then I carefully place the bag flat in the freezer so the vegetables freeze in a single layer.  When I want to use some, I can easily break off what I need.  You can, of course, freeze vegetables on a cookie sheet and then put them in a bag.  

The snow is pretty well gone. It was just a warning :)

Story - "Homemade Socks" and quiet fall colours

A story:

Homemade Socks

The knitting needles followed their well-worn path, row after row.  Donna knew the pattern by heart.  Ribbing at the top, cables down the leg and over the top of the foot.  She used the same grey yarn for every pair.  She spent countless hours knitting the socks and donated them to various homeless shelters.

One cold winter night at a shelter, a worker gave a troubled man a pair of Donna's socks.

As soon as he saw the pattern, tears filled his eyes.  His mother always knit him socks in that particular pattern in that special shade of grey. 

The fall foliage of the maple trees is flashy and bright and always welcome, but some other plants are beautiful in more subtle ways.  The dogwood in this photo has lovely peachy leaves that bounce gently in the breeze.

The evening primrose goes a deep red.  It reminds me of a Scottish tartan with the green, yellow, and brown.

The Solomon's seal changes to a buttery yellow.  It keeps its arching form to give a nice structural focal point in the landscape.

Wood asters have delicate mauve flowers on their stiff stems.  Every flower has slightly different colouring in the center and the petals come out at irregular angles giving the plant a quaint quirkiness.

A few of the pansies are still flowering after limping through the heat of the summer. They are always brightly coloured but their soft rounded petals give them a quiet feeling.

Story - "The Protector". and Fall Sedum

A Story:

The Protector

Ranger was a rescue dog.  Too energetic, noisy, and aggressive for his first owners, he had found his forever home with a lively family.  Off-leash walks were Ranger's delight.

Sadly, one autumn the father became ill.  The ambiguous diagnosis didn't look promising.  Friends and family encouraged, "He just needs to rest."

The mother knew better.

One fresh fall day, the family prepared for a walk.  Ranger pranced, twirled excitedly.

"I think I'll stay home," the mother said quietly.  She needed to find some strength.  Ranger paused, gazing at her.  Soon he was sitting close beside her, the walk forgotten. 

 

Sedum is a great plant for late season blooms.  It is tough as nails and will handle any kind of weather.

It does best in full sun as a shadier location can make it leggy and prone to flopping.  It is super easy to propagate.  Simply break off a stem, even when it is blooming, and stick it in the ground.  It will quickly root.  I like it because it makes a well-behaved clump and  even though it is very easy to grow, it is not at all invasive.  The bumblebees like it, too,  so that's another plus. The flower heads can be easily dried or used fresh in flower arrangements.

Story: : "Entwined" and Butternut Squash

 Another story.

Entwined

The French fry bounced on the cold pavement.  On springy yellow feet, the seagull jabbed, drew back, swallowed.  He caught my eye but I turned away.  My heart was still thumping.  No more job.  Who was I?

He squawked as a heavy raindrop plopped on his grey back. I threw another fry.

Soon a rival came, then another.  Fries, more fries.  Scattered left, strewn right.  Finally, no more.  The challengers flew away.  He stayed.  We stared at each other; our needs entwined together.

"Thank you," he seemed to  say.

It felt good to feel needed.

This year is the first year I have grown butternut squash.  I didn't think I had enough sun to successfully grow them but I had some very healthy seedlings pop up in the compost and I couldn't resist transplanting a couple of them and see if they would produce fruit. I planted them in large pots by a trellis. I think the trellis was key to getting them enough sun.  They have looked ripe for several weeks but I read online that you need to wait until the stem goes brown for them to be mature.  I think they are finally ready.

Butternut squash is probably my favourite squash.  It has great flavour and the skin isn't too hard.  I can easily cut them into chunks and bake them in the oven, or if I am in a hurry, I microwave them. At this time of year, I like to make squash soup.  I saute some onion, add my cooked squash, enough water to make the consistency I want and simmer for half and hour or so. I flavour it with chopped parsley, marjoram, salt and pepper.  Just before serving, I add some milk and keep it on the stove until it is well heated but not boiling.

The beauty of soup is that recipes are flexible.  For squash soup, I might also add some carrot, or ginger, or even some red or yellow peppers. It's all about tasting as you cook and using the taste to determine how you will adjust your seasonings.

Story: "New Land" and Last day of September Landscapes

 "New Land"

The hot-air balloon floated higher and higher transporting James to a fantastic new land.

A pristine stream gurgled playfully as it flowed between lush green fields.  The air smelled intoxicatingly of lilac roses.  Fruit trees boasted rosy apples, purple plums, sunset peaches.  Birds sang beautiful symphonies.  

James called his family, friends.  "It's wonderful.  Come."

They answered:

"The rats had babies.  Can't come."

"Need bucket for leaky roof.  Can't come."

"Picking rocks out of the garden.  Can't come."

"Afraid of heights.  Will stay in basement.  Can't come."

James sent pictures and delicious food, but they, sadly, preferred "Home Sweet Home".

This is the last day of September.  I took my camera with me on my walk and snapped a few photos.  It's always a lovely time of the year.

Story - "The Falling Sky" and September Flowers

 Here's another story.

The Falling Sky

Ever since he could remember, Matt had heard that the sky was going to fall.

One cloudy day, he began his trek to school.  Suddenly, a mist materialized around him.  The clouds were plummeting.  The sky was crashing down.  He started to run but the fog grew so thick that he couldn't see.

He cried out in terror.  He was going to die.  In agony, he stumbled and fell.

Prostrate, trembling, eternity later, a gentle breeze began nudging him.  Nervously, he peeked up at the sky.

The fog was gone.  The sky was azure blue.  The sun was shining.

It's the season for chrysanthemums but I still have some summer flowers to enjoy so I haven't bought any chrysanthemums.

Crazy little red miniature rose just keeps on blooming.  I like the classic rose shape.

The zinnias are still making new blooms.  I have left the old flowers on the plants as I am hoping to save some of my own seeds this year. 

Yellow dahlia just never stops blooming. What a great plant.

This is just one coleus plant although it has grown different shaped leaves with different coloration.

Interesting.

I think this is a very pretty cosmos.  Only really started blooming properly a couple of weeks ago. I like cosmos but they really would do better in a full sun, drier location.

After  quite a rainy summer, we are supposed to get several days of sun. It will be nice weather to spend outside tidying up the gardens for winter.  The hummingbirds have gone south.  In a couple of months, we will start feeding the winter birds.

Another story "T-Shirt Turn Off" and free summer bulbs

 Here is another story.  Hope you like it and it gives you a chuckle, but also makes you think a little.

"The weather forecast was cool and sunny.  Just perfect for the hiking group to enjoy a trek, but Janice frowned that morning as she got dressed.  She really enjoyed the hikes but lately Matt was being just too friendly.  How to put him off tactfully was the question.  Suddenly the lightbulb lit up.

Not long into the hike, Matt came up beside her. 

"I was wondering if you..." he started.

No time to lose.  Janice quickly unzipped her fleece to show off her T-shirt.

Matt sucked in his breath, eyes goggling.  He sputtered, scooted away.

"Jesus Saves" flashed her T-shirt."

Our local grocery store had lots of summer bulbs left over and today they were just giving them away.  Well, who can resist that?  I had bought the big yellow dahlia in the spring and was really happy with it. Lots of big lemony yellow flowers and a robust plant.  So I thought I would take another one from the free box today.  I also picked up a pink dahlia, a package of five calla lilies, and two packages of acidentera (18 bulbs).  When I got home early this evening, I opened up all the packages and put everything to soak in water.  The dahlias still had  shoots that looked alive, and although most of the tubers in the cluster were very dried out, each plant had a firm one.  The acidanteras all had small shoots, still green, although looking pretty stressed.  In the calla lily package was a large (3") corm with about 6 shoots as well as some small corms with no shoots.

This is absolutely the wrong time of year to be planting any of these but I like a challenge, and they were FREE.  My plan for the dahlias is to pot them up and try to get some growth on them before winter.  I will try to extend the season for them as long as possible bringing them inside if frost is threatened at night. I should be able to do that until the middle or end of November.  Then I will let the foliage freeze and  put the whole pot in the cool basement.

The acidentera I will simply use as forced bulbs.  If all goes well, they will bloom in December and we can enjoy them for a little while and then I will throw them out.

The calla lilies I will pot up, grow them  outside as long as I can and then bring them in as a houseplant. In January and February, I will put them in the basement and give them a rest.  Hopefully, then they will be ready to grow again next spring.

We'll see how it goes.

A story "The Squirrels"

 The Squirrels

Grandma liked to feed the birds in the winter.  She had a special bird feeder with a spring-loaded perch that closed the opening to the seeds if a squirrel stepped on it.  Grandma had a long-standing war going on with the squirrels.

"Ha!"  Grandma would exclaim triumphantly when a squirrel slid down the cylindrical bird feeder and fell to the ground.

One afternoon, I decided on impulse to visit Grandma.  There she was standing in her snowy yard tossing peanuts around.  Squirrels dashed and skittered to retrieve them.

"Squirrellies, peanuts,"  Grandma called gaily.

I guess everyone has secrets.

Dried Arrangements, thoughts on growing potatoes and geraniums

 I found that peony flowers dry quite nicely and I made this arrangement using them as the main feature.  Also in this arrangement is some purple statice, white astrantia, red yarrow, grape hyacinth stems with seed pods, coral bells spent flower stems.

I have been growing some potatoes in reusable grocery bags (woven fabric ones) and having pretty good success. I really like just being able to dump the bag and find the potatoes without digging. I was thinking that next year I will place some of the bags on top of the big plastic containers I use for growing.  That way, the roots of the potato plants can go down into the soil of the container but all the potatoes will be in the bag. I could also place the bag right on the ground of a garden area.

This patch of geraniums is actually 3 plants each in a 8" pot.  I started them as cuttings in the spring - 4" cuttings dipped in rooting hormone and placed in soil.  I pinched out any flower buds until the middle of July forcing the plant to put more energy into leaves.  Now I have a lovely display of flowers blooming all at once. I will bring one of them inside before winter and repeat the process next year.

Watercolour Cloud Painting

 I challenged myself over the winter months to improve my cloud painting.  I watched several Youtube videos on it and after many attempts I felt this one was starting to get a feeling of fluffiness. 

For anyone who likes watercolour painting, I came across a competition - Women in Watercolour - which has some amazing paintings.  Many of them are photo realism but there were other styles as well. If you Google the name of the competition, you will get to the site and be able to view all the winners for this year and the last 3 years.  I like the fact that they had many prize winners - about 30 I think- and also made a slide show of the 160 honorable mentions. 

I found it encouraging to see so many wonderful paintings.  We get so much depressing news but these women are painting wonderful watercolours and bringing joy to people who see them.

Hope you are enjoying some hobbies these days.  

A Story. "Faulty Connections" and Jewelweed

 Here is another story:

Faulty Connections

Bill wasn't looking forward to his doctor's appointment, but he felt he had to share the concerns he and his wife had about his memory, his problem solving, his word finding and understanding.

"I'm having trouble with my memory," he began.

"Just normal aging, but I'll give you a short assessment."

Ten minutes later, Bill had drawn a clock, identified a camel, recited three numbers backwards, remembered five words, and completed other similar tasks.

"Perfect score, Bill."

He left the office relieved, no dementia.  Driving home, he mistakenly pressed the accelerator at the stop sign and crashed into a car.

Jewelweed is not a terribly common weed in our area but it really likes the damper areas of our property. It has juicy stems like an impatiens and grows 5-6' tall.  It's an annual but it scatters its seeds by popping its ripe seed pods which flings the seeds a fair distance.  The plants are easy to pull out as they are very shallow rooted.  It is a bit of a nuisance in the gardens but it is much better than stinging nettle which also grows here and there.  The flowers are small - less than an inch- but they are interesting if you stop and have a good look at them.

Last Day in the Robin Nest

 Yesterday morning I took this photo. I was pretty sure it would be the last one and sure enough the nest was empty this morning.  We had a thunderstorm and rain early this morning so I don't know if they fledged yesterday evening or this morning just after the rain stopped.  Anyway, no sign of the robin family but I guess they are somewhere on the property just trying to keep a low profile.  I may see them when the young birds are a little stronger.  It's been fun to share the journey with them.  It's truly remarkable to go from a little blue egg to a bird with feathers and big eyes and strong yellow beak. Life is amazing.

More Pictures of the Baby Robins

A couple of days ago, all snug in the nest early in the morning.

Last evening, I heard one of the parents call quietly. I wondered if it was encouraging the babies to leave the nest.  This morning, at least one of them is looking awake and alert. We'll see if they are still in there tomorrow.  It's looking pretty crowded.
 

A Story "Family" - and some red flowers

 Here is the second part of the story "Baby Plans".

Family

Laughing, panting, David called a stop to the soccer scrimmage with his stepson, Ben.

"Time for ice cream," Ben grinned.

"You betcha, kiddo," David returned with a big puff.

David slung his arm around Ben's shoulder as they headed for the house.  Jessica watched them from the kitchen, her heart singing as it always did when those two were together.  David couldn't have a biological child of his own, but he loved and cherished Ben as his son.

Jessica and David had debts; they rented their house; they weren't promoted.

All they had was treasure:  family and love.

This is a miniature rose.  The flower is a bit more than an inch across. I bought this at the grocery store last winter and it's doing well on the deck.  It has collected rainwater in the centre.

Flowers come in so many different shapes and sizes.  Here is some beebalm looking like it's having a bad hair day.

This dahlia is so neat and tidy.  Dramatic in its very structured way.

Probably my favourite daylily.  The lime green centre is such a good contrast to the rich red petals.

I like the glossy green leaves of this begonia. Very bright and cheerful.

Happy gardening.