Christmas Eve

 

Paper whites when I started them. Started hyacinths in the shed chilling.

My little lemon cypress. It actually smells like citrus when you rub the leaves.

Paper whites today.

Had to start planting bulbs in container. I've only begun. Next week is the week. This morning it was 8 degrees, so no planting bulbs

I usually use paper towel in the bottle to keep the soil from draining out.

Sorry for the side ways pictures. Didn't take time to turn them around before I down loaded them.

Merry Christmas. Have a beautiful holiday.

First Fire

The cold finally arrived and the fire felt good today. Glad I don't live in New York. Wouldn't make it with all that snow.

These are from the produce market blooming 2 weeks after purchased. I have to start my paper whites.

I hope the amaryllis make it to Thanksgiving.

Spotted this today in the supermarket. I love the colors but pray it's not a croton. They're hard to keep alive without a lot of light. My cell app identified it as a croton and then a Chinese evergreen. I'll keep trying to identify it.

For cranberry sauce that was supposed to be made today. After grocery shopping and doing some things in the house I was tired and only got to starting the turkey stock below. I'll get to it tomorrow.

Bulbs

 

Autumn

Time is moving along and we are back to a beautiful colorful time of year. The weather in Philly started to change earlier than usual with cold nights already. We went to the orchid this past weekend. I expected to see the leaves had started to change but not yet. Enjoyed our day and the hay ride is always a treat. There was lots to choose from in the garden center. I came home with 3 new house plant purchases. Of course apples and candied apples. The apple cider donuts were delicious.

From my daughter for my birthday in September. Yes, another year older.

 

My first bulbs arrived a few weeks ago.

Lettuce and a few other cool season container vegetables. Fresh salad by Thanksgiving and some kale below to put in soup.

Chore of the day.

Ten houseplants moved indoors last week with nights in the 40's.

Wood and a box of tulip bulbs arrived.

The porch is a little more organized. Have to take in the clivia's in the pot on the floor. Hope they do well. I ordered them this summer and put all 3 in one pot.

Planted some perennials this fall to return in spring.

Don't know why the nicotiana didn't bloom. Planted them from seeds. I got no flowers from any of them but the plants were healthy. I'll start more gomphrena from seed this winter. They did real well for me with the drought and high temperatures. I love reds and oranges so I already purchased the seed.

Salvia

These asters didn't do well.

The End of Summer

Summer isn't over until September 22nd but, when children go back to school and labor day arrives many seem to start thinking of fall. Usually I'm excited about fall, the harvest, fall plants, the leaves changing. This year when I think of it's arrival it's because the temperature will start to cool and there will be a respite from scorching summer temperatures and humidity. Our region has had a preview of this for a few days and nights and it was beautiful. To feel that crisp air that arrives in the fall. I've come to love summer as all the other seasons but extreme heat is not my thing. I was on vacation all summer as a school employee and I loved it. More so this summer than any I've had. I learned to embrace rest and being still and the joy it brings. Normally summer means painting, tidying up, projects, and gardening. I'm a person that will move and find something to do all day. Not this summer. My coworkers asked me did I go on vacation. The answer was no, I relaxed. I really rested and I did. I planted a small container garden at my sister's house where all the sun it. Enjoyed tomatoes all summer and they're still yielding but the plants are all over the place. Soon we will pull them up. My peppers weren't successful planted in the same container with the tomatoes. This is what I miss now that I'm back at work. 

With each year of getting older, my expectations are changing and I'm learning how to manage this almost 60 year old body and all of it's changes. No, not 60 yet, next year. This year I'll be 59. How did I get to almost 60? Time went so fast. When I was living it, things seemed to past slow. I was excited to return to work maybe because I know I have few years left to work. When I do retire, I'll miss being in the presence of those in the work place. For me, it's therapeutic to work. I hope to have one knee replaced this year. With hopefully more mobility and less achiness and pain, next summer I may choose to be more active. Arthritis is not a nice disease and being in pain all day every day changes a person. Aging changes the mind, body, desires, abilities and so much more. Aging is also freedom. Freedom to authentically be me and not care what other people think. Enjoy all that life brings, nature, the breeze, the buzzing of bees on my blooms during summer, the joy and peace of silence.

It was nice not to have to buy a tomato all summer and enjoy the rich taste that can't be found in store bought tomatoes which travel so far to reach the stores. They're advantages of growing live food outside the kitchen door. Two cabbages that started out beautiful never made big heads but were beautiful. They should have been planted outdoors in March but got there in May which would have been almost the time to harvest them. Soon the heat arrived and the growth slowed down. So if I grow some next season, I'll plant them outdoors at the proper time. They are cool season vegetables. My sister and I will have to not be too excited about how much we plant because we learned it has to be watered, all the time. Her yard has scorching sun. Tomatoes and peppers need direct sun but the soil dries out fast and they needed more watering than I would have been committed to. She's retired and was so excited about having her own vegetables so I thought she'd be out there every day watering.  This didn't occur. I can't complain because it was so hot. She used her water barrel with rain water. But most of the summer there was little rain. I asked her every day. Did you water the vegetables? To grow and know where some of your food comes from is priceless. We can't control what's in the air or water but we can grow it as organically as possible and not use chemicals.

In the house my plants have had a rough summer. I threw out a large plant yesterday, not dead but tired of dealing with mealy bugs on it which are traveling to other plants. Many of my plants need to be repotted. Maybe this winter. Hopefully when temperatures make me stay indoors I'll be excited about my indoor garden. Ordered my bulbs in the spring and they should be arriving soon. Last year my bulbs didn't do as well. Hopefully they do better next season. I ordered my first seeds to start during winter. As one season will soon end, another is beginning. So we have caught up on what I've been doing. I hope you've had a beautiful summer and we'll talk again hopefully sooner than later.