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.