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Musings on anything. |
 My blog was filled up. I'm too lazy to clean it out. So I started a new one. |
| It's a quiet and cold night. All my gifts are wrapped, although I am short two. There is no where to shop at this late date and I don't know what to get them anyway. Dinner is under control. I'm not expecting company until 2 pm Wednesday. Tomorrow, I go to church for a low key candlelight service. I will open a can of soup afterwards and get everything ready to cook the next morning. It's a simple menu, since one family will going to brunch first. I fixed a batch of fudge for some reason. It doesn't look like it will truly harden, I'll check in the morning. I didn't over-decorate this year. It seems like such a waste when I don't get that much company any more. And my health just interferes too much. But I intend to have a good holiday, and be as cheerful as I am normally. I'm a positive thinker. I know that Christmas is not about getting or entertaining, but it's a reminder, like Scrooge said after redemption, to keep every day as though it were Christmas. |
| On Saturday, my great niece and nephews came to my house to make cookies. I had everything ready in advance, since I knew they had somewhere else to go for the afternoon. One table was set up with flour and a cutting board with roller pen. The dough was chilling in the refrigerator. The royal icing had just been made and sat on the kitchen counter. Cookie sheets were lined with parchment paper and sitting on top of the stove next to the table where cookie cutters in various shapes waited in the flour. The dining room table was lined with wax paper and cooling racks and many kinds of sprinkles for decorating. First order of business, everyone had to wash his or her hands. Then I set them to rolling the sticky dough and getting a feel for what was too much pressure on the dough. We lifted the cookies over to the pans and put in the preheated oven. When they were done, I handled the hot pans and moved them over to the racks. While one or two painted cookies, one would keep rolling and cutting. They moved finished ones over to plates to finish drying. My intention was that they would eat one or two each, take a few home, and share the rest with the kids group at my church. That didn't work. They did refrain from eating them up. However, each one insisted on keeping the ones he or she decorated. There was no sharing this year. I got out plastic containers for them to avoid smearing the icing that wasn't quite dry. They had to go to a soccer game. I didn't have time to argue, and I didn't want to be the Grinch. I had no cookies to take to church except a few not quite burned ones. It was a good project to have with kids under 12, but I still felt disappointed. I thought we had done a better job of teaching them the spirit of sharing. I I don't believe they hoarded the cookies for eating, but because they were pretty. They were their own little works of art, and they just couldn't part with them. Still even works of art are sometimes meant to be shared. I failed in the lesson of giving as its own reward. They only said thank you to me because their mother forced them. |
| Once a year, we have a dinner with the kids from the housing project down the road. We pick them up on the bus for activities twice a month. For the dinner, some parents com and regular church members. We had volunteers cook ham, and sides, with mac'n cheese for the kids, and store bought dessert. We had a jam session, in which 4 guitarists and one saxophonist, performed a few numbers for us. Then we played a game of charades, with each table acting out Christmas songs amongst themselves. My table finished first so we got some cheap candy prizes. The highlight is the unrehearsed Christmas play. The director found years ago that kids get too nervous and uptight about memorizing lines and following directions. So they run through the story, while the adults play music and games. Then they come in in costumes and follow the directions of several adults stationed along the way. The sheep were bouncing all over the place. The angels almost missed their entrance. The wise man (only one last night) passed by the stable. We sing traditional carols at key points in the Bible story. At the end, without ever having said a word, they come back and take a bow. They are rewarded with a bag of candy and can take an ornament of their choice off a special tree. It really is fun to watch. I find myself looking forward to this each year. It is as entertaining as a play rehearsed since September. |
| I am so frustrated. I know a woman who has been evicted and is sleeping in her car. She knew for months this was going to happen and did nothing to stop it. She didn't even pack her belongings. This is an intelligent woman with a four year degree and a ready knowledge of history that impresses everyone. But she can't take care of herself. She is 65 years old and cannot follow directions. My church paid to cremate her father two years ago and has paid her electric bill at least twice. They paid for a U-Haul truck, supposedly for one day, but she kept it a week, before a couple of men went after it and demanded the keys. Volunteers moved her unpacked stuff into the truck and to a storage facility which someone else paid for. The Salvation Army has bunk beds, but she can't sleep in a top bunk because of vertigo. After two attempts to get an empty bottom bunk, she refuses to go back. She sabotages everything everyone does for her or the directions she's given She has to get rid of her cats and is greatly distressed about that. I tried to talk to her about getting a winter coat, and she walked out, saying, "My spirits are too low to deal with it right now." To me, that spells mental illness: she can't face reality. There are shelters in town. There are social workers, charitable organizations, Food Bank, etc. This is a small church that just can't afford to support her. Members have given her cash, blankets, as well as rides and help moving her stuff. You can't take her by the hand and force her to the right offices during business hours and make her cooperate. There is a possibility that she enjoys suffering and being the center of attention. She has disability income and food stamps. She cant manage her own life. It's frustrating for everyone who knows her because they are empathetic. They don't want to see her freeze or be attacked at night. But no one can adopt an old woman who is stubborn and unhealthy. There is the old saying, 'You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.' In this case, the horse can't be led to water if he just refuses to go. |
| It's that time of year. I cut back the peonies on both sides of my house to about 4 inches. My dad planted them about 20 years ago. He planted everything too close together. The azaleas and the rose of Sharon overshadow the peonies in bloom. I couldn't dig up the peonies because they're too close to the patio slate. Now that they're in the clearing, I can see the shrubs need some severe pruning to make room for next year's growth. This is the time of year for that, too, so the pruning won't get rid of blooms. The cold weather has not chased away the mosquitoes or the bees. I still have to dodge those and wear repellent. While I was at it, I went to the back yard and cut off the irises. I hate cutting those lovely green leaves, unlike the brown peonies, but it needs to be done. I can see where the weeds are now in that bed, and where I need to add top soil. All the beds need mulch, but I'm short of funds. I took the potted geraniums and amaryllis inside. The begonias will be okay until we get freezing weather. My potted strawberries, sage, and chives will be good outside all winter. I have pots of annuals, which don't need to be "saved". I will have to rescue the pots from freezing and store until spring. The yard needs as much attention as the inside of the house. But yard work is much more satisfying. And I get to do it all again, next year, God willing. |
| My church today celebrated a reunion of ex-prisoners who played hand bells through an outreach of my church. These are women who found deep meaning and purpose in making music and having fellowship together. While the rest of society looked down on them, families abandoned them, they grew together and learned a skill you can't use everywhere. It takes a lot of discipline to play the bells. They had the whole service, reading scripture, sharing testimony, thanking the leaders who had made them feel valid and loved. (For sure not the warden.) We had a catered lunch with them afterwards. Many of them brought family and friends. We don't have many kids on a regular basis, so seeing the little ones running around and stirring in church was welcome. We have "church in the round" for such occasions. That means round tables are set up with cloths and centerpieces, instead of rows of chairs. It makes for a more relaxed and casual atmosphere, although we're pretty casual to start. It was time well spent. Their music was beautiful. I didn't hear one wrong note. Some of them hadn't touched a bell in years, but they spent yesterday and 2 hours before church today, brushing up. If you've ever played hand bells, or listened to many concerts, you know it's not as easy as it looks. They love the director, now in his late 70's, who has moved out of town to a retirement home, but made the trip back for them. Volunteers from those early days were there to play with them. It was meaningful to them and to us. It probably will be the last reunion this side of Heaven. They didn't pay for hotels; volunteers gave them a place to stay, dinner last night, and breakfast today. |
| I've discovered I've handled my geraniums incorrectly. I was right to break off the dead leaves and finished blooms, but then I dropped them onto the top of the pot, thinking it would be like natural mulch. According to the video on YouTube that I watched yesterday, that is a no-no. You must not leave the debris on the top of the soil. So I went out and cleaned the pots and filled an empty pot with stems, etc., I went though all the other plants and herbs, too. I don't know why I was leaving spotted leaves on the sage plants. I knew they'd never be green again and ready for harvest. But the tops of the soil were covered with withered leaves. Again, I think that probably is bad, holding in bacteria and infesting the soil. So I cleaned those plants off and used the leaf blower on my deck. Right now, I'm overrun with yellow jackets. A relative already put gas in a nest in the front yard. But they're buzzing on all four sides of the house. I can sit at my dining room window and see them darting up into the cedar tree and down to the Rose of Sharon bush, which is overgrown. That's pretty high up. I always think of them as being near the ground, since that's where they nest. My house is a split level, and the dining room is upstairs, so they're way off the ground. I work outside for a while; then they find me and I quietly walk away. You never want to run from a yellow jacket or swat at one. Tonight while on the WDC site, one buzzed around the lamp on my desk. Yep, I got up and left the room. I sprayed around and stayed out for a while. I haven't seen him again, or his little dead body. So I know he's still here. I've had trouble sleeping this week, so tonight I'll lie awake, afraid he'll sting me in the dark. |
| I don't know what sent me in this direction. But I decided I haven't had a family blowout in a while, so I invited them to my house for Sunday dinner. At first, I wanted just all beef hot dogs with decent side dishes. Then it hit me about a shrimp boil. I can't afford this, and it is so much work the day of serving! But I'm committed. I looked up the recipe, and it reminded me of the jambalaya that I made once for a Duck Dynasty theme. So I looked further. They are not the same, but are very close. Gumbo, seafood or shrimp boil, and Jambalaya are very close. They all start with green pepper, onion, and celery. You choose two of 3 meats: chicken, shrimp or lobster, and sausage (andouille preferred, kielbasa will do). Gumbo is soupier. Jambalaya has rice cooked in it. The boil has red potatoes and short ears of corn. It's all low country, because it is Southern and mostly Louisiana based. Crayfish is optional in all of them. I am not a crayfish person. I have made my shopping list. I still have to have hot dogs for the picky children in my family. If they all come, I'll have 9 children, maybe 10, and 7 adults, counting me. There's a precedent for two spouses not showing up. And the maybe 10th is a 15 year old boyfriend who can't be separated from my great niece. So I have to clean house, and plan my cooking schedule, since I have a 9 am meeting Sunday and have to clean up after Communion, making me a little late getting home from church. I have to prep the bread the day before: cut off the crusts and cut in small cubes to place in storage bags until Sunday morning. For side dishes, I will make homemade coleslaw on Saturday. I will make garlicky mac n cheese ( I will have ingredients ready so I can throw them in the pressure cooker/air fryer when I get home from church. The vegetables will be ready to go in the pot on the stove. I just have to clean my hands and start tossing in. The boil takes about an hour. We decided mid-afternoon, so I will make it okay. If they have to wait, okay. I have to wait when I go to their houses. One of them might bring dessert, and one might bring fruit. So that will be my Labor Day celebration. It might the last shindig this old lady does for the whole family. They have their own things going on these days. I want it to be memorable. |
| One of the things I've noticed this year is the abundance of moths, bees, and other bugs I don't recognize. Coneflowers aren't the most spectacular beauties, but nature's little critters love them. My butterfly shrubs are full of some purple and blue moths or butterflies. My marigolds and wildflowers are a buzzing with critters. The deer sheer off the hostas, lillies, and glads. Deer do not eat basil, irises, or peonies. Oh, they crave tulips, but ignore daffodils. The rose of Sharon is a fast growing shrub with beautiful blooms. Nothing eats that, but the bugs love the blooms. You can prune that shrub as much as you want; it's probably impossible to hurt it other than digging it up and burning the roots. It's a very hardy shrub. On the other hand, you never want to plant bamboo or voodoo plants. They are very invasive and will take over a vast area. They are worse than weeds and morning glory or the ivy that kills your trees. I have never been good with hydrangeas or roses. Yucca plants have sharp leaves that will cut you. Pretty doesn't have to mean nice. So, I put on my Off and tell myself that I'm doing my part for Mother Nature by feeding her critters, no matter how annoying they can be. (Hornets hurt the most.) |
| I was surprised to discover from The Grumpy Gardener that every 12 years, our growing zones go one mile further north. So, if you live in the southern part of growing zone 7, you may actually be in zone 8 next year. We can be a little riskier in planting earlier than usual or planting less hardy species. However, you may have to be careful about diseases or pests that come with warmer temps and increased humidity. It's always a puzzle to me about planting early enough, but not too early. And what about late planting? Some of my seed didn't come up, so I tried to plant later, and nothing came of that either, despite the heat and sunshine. I know from prior experience that planting melons or onions too late will produce nothing worth harvesting. Another puzzle is when is a seed too old? I harvested seeds from dwarf marigolds and planted the following year. But two year old seeds didn't work. Same with coneflowers. I was so excited to have seeds from my flowers producing a year later. Packaged seeds don't last long. Possibly they are old when you buy them, despite the labels. This year, I refused to spend money on new plants or seeds, so I have been disappointed and now don't have my usual array of flowers. I did splurge on some dark color iris bulbs yesterday, but I won't see those until next year, if I'm still around. They will have to go in the ground with the blue irises I inherited from my grandmother. Experience has shown me that begonias can reproduce when you least expect them. And geraniums (I love to smell them) produce new plants around the base of the stem! I'm going to figure out how to preserve them. I have sage plants and chives that are over five years old. They're all in pots. One of the things I love about the plants is the smell. I love fiddling with the sage, and smelling my hands when I'm done. The geraniums give off a fragrance as soon as you touch them. I have grown basil and dill, when I was buying seed. Same thrill smelling them as I worked with them. I'm still learning about deadheading irises, peonies, petunias, etc. I wish I had known more when I was younger. I have to coat myself with mosquito spry to go outside for more than 5 minutes, but I love growing things. Now I have the time to do this stuff, and my health is failing, I do what I can and take breaks. With a longer growing season, and time to water, maybe I'll learn a little about gardening before it's too late for me. |
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These days I just have houseplants and one lonely portulaca that came up by seed and has bloomed this past week. I've been "home" for three months and the plants have responded well. But, I long for Thailand.
. Isn't it funny how we take things like electricity and plumbing for granted... until we don't have them. Happy for you!