T-shirt: “Instead of ‘HAVE A NICE DAY’ I think I’ll start saying ‘HAVE THE DAY YOU DESERVE.’ You know, let karma sort that out.” 😁
We had temps in the teens a couple weeks ago. Our hyacinths (and daffs, and crocus) laughed it off. A few days later we had afternoon temps close to 80° (#aprilweather) and half our flowers were over! 😫
Gardening is for the hopeful soul who can accept what Mother Nature gives and appreciate it to its fullest. And when the inevitable fizzles occur, we scratch our brows and say, "Oh well, next year."
My offering today is a word gifted to me by a friend. The word is muditā. A noun, Sanskrit or Pali, meaning sympathetic or unselfish joy, or joy in the good fortune of others.
I find and relish in the joy I feel, expressed by each of you, every time I visit this blog and read these posts and the replies.
4" of snow! If comparison can be the thief of joy, it can also be the bringer of gratitude! Thankful all of our snow melted in 24 hours. Stay warm my friend!
I love - here’s hoping! There’s always hope. Even me who planted 10 little saplings just last week and now they are covered in snow.... I have faith that this weather will soon leave us and spring will settle in. Hyacinths are cold loving flowers or aka cool flowers as my gardening friends all call them. They will be just fine. After a day full of hail, snow and more snow, the sun is now peaking out from behind the clouds. More snow this evening and I am praying that is it for this year. I have had just about enough of it. Although Finn, my not so miniature Aussie thinks it’s fun! I love that he thinks it’s fun even though I am tired of it.
I wonder how many other dog owners there are in this 3mm community? We have a medium (44 lb) labradoodle that revels in the rain. After our walks in the rain, I towel dry her. She leans her head against me, lifts her feet when requested, (I read recently that training with doodle dogs is more a negotiation) and just expresses more joy than I would have imagined a dog being able to do. Me, after a rainy walk? Not as joyful. Hail, snow, and more snow? I’ll pass.
Connection with our pets is a delight! And Izzie is the 3/4 poodle, 1/4 lab variety. Her use of forelegs, and coat, and head shape are decidedly poodle. Unbobbed tail is delightful.
It might reach 70 here in Missouri tomorrow again. I've put out two hummingbird feeders to catch the early birds coming north. Last year I saw the first one the last week of April! Yes, Thalia just float south.
The kid was in Missouri a few weeks ago fishing Table Rock. He (mostly) enjoyed great weather.
I have been seeing some beautiful close-up videos of hummingbirds on Instagram. They are a true wonder of nature. So beautiful! Do you make your own nectar with sugar and water?
Someone wrote, “If Winter’s here, can Spring be far behind?” Inspired by the Muses I expect great things will happen. We might see 45F tomorrow by dawn, but through next Monday the highs will creep toward the upper 80’s! Not teasing, of course. The summer oven will be roasting humans soon enough. Is tomorrow morning your traditional yoga morning? Perhaps some poses will provide energy and increase blood flow. Or help being centered? Or bless you through connecting with friends and familiar faces.
Yoga is Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings... so grateful I can still participate without skipping a beat. It would be lovely if yoga is helping my bone marrow.
As per directions, I am downing two tablespoons of unrefined, un-toasted sesame oil each day to help platelets. I'm also doing my best to eat citrus, peppers, and leafy greens in an effort to encourage white cell production. Even if there is no proof that it'll help, doing so certainly won't hurt.
Has humidity started to make you swelter... or not quite yet?
I planted hyacinths one year. They didn't come back the next year because the squirrels dug up the bulbs and ate them. That might be one reason I don't see hyacinths in too many yards down here. Lilacs don't grow down here and neither does rhubarb. Thankfully we can find kohlrabi in the Whole Foods and Sprouts stores. Wisteria is pretty but it doesn't have that wonder smell and it is a vine and takes over everything. I miss my Michigan seasons.
I was “force fed” rhubarb as a child. Rules of the house were to eat everything on our plates, and not leave the table until done. We raised the rhubarb but that provided little incentive to eat it! Thanks, but I’ll pass.
It's very tart. I have three or four regular desserts that I make with rhubarb... all include sugar and are enhanced with vanilla ice cream. The muses approve!
I’m all in on the ice cream, Gail. My mom used to make strawberry/rhubarb pie, made from the berries and rhubarb we grew. Frozen berries from the previous season. Never had enough sugar...
Rhubarb is almost non existent down here. We love it so on the very occasions we find it we stock up. Now that my daughter's cardiologist said we must follow the keto diet with no more than 20 carbs per day I don't think we can have it. If he ever tells us we can add a few more carbs we might be able to have a little every now and again. I spend sooo much time looking at recipes and calulating the nutrition for every little piece of food we eat I almost don't have time to do anything else. The good thing about it is that her BP is back down. Now we have to pryy he tells us she is not in danger of becoming diabetic.
That is thought provoking! And, yes, the extra work to select and prepare meals sounds onerous. Good luck with that process and best wishes for your daughter’s avoiding diabetes.
I’m a Florida transplant from PA. I’m guessing that you are familiar with crape myrtles. When I migrated in 1971, most had the coral-pink hued blooms. Now they seem to be the default plant for highway medians, parks, and seemingly everybody’s yards. And some unspoken rule says, “Never mix their colors!” How unimaginative! Caladiums are in the same “dig ‘em up” category. Not so much squirrels but they rot in cooler rainy stretches while dormant. All this has driven me to native species: flame azaleas, ash-magnolias (larger and more fragrant than native magnolias), silver bell bushes and the like. Years ago I planted a small orchard of apples and pears adapted to our N FL climate. A late freeze claimed all the blossoms once. Two other years, huge flocks of Cedar Waxwings descended and ate every blossom! And the apples were odious... Perhaps I’m a bit like Goldilocks!
One of my clients has a crape myrtle that could be 100 years old! The home has been in the family since it was constructed about 120 years ago! Now it’s well over two feet in diameter at the base.
I think you once (or more than once) shared a photo of a grafted tree with me. In spring it flowered in a multitude of hues. Can you imaging a grove of multi-colored crape myrtles?
I know what you mean. Here in Louisiana we only have two seasons. Hot and wet. Never dreamed the army would have sent us here. We were in Germany for 11 1/2 years. The weather there is like Michigan. Before we left Germany my husband said wherever we get sent next is where we will retire. We've been here since 1992. Everybody told us the culture shock going to Europe would be bad. They were sooo wrong. The culture shock was when we lived in Key West. The Christmas lights in palm trees. No snow in the winter. It's not much different here. All the yard decorations but no snow. Everybody wearing gloves and winter boots with hats and scarves with shorts. Crazy.
In Wisconsin some people start getting antsy for their summer wardrobes and start wearing shorts when temps rise to the freezing mark. It seems a little bit of "I want what I do not have" happens in the south and the north.
T-shirt: “Instead of ‘HAVE A NICE DAY’ I think I’ll start saying ‘HAVE THE DAY YOU DESERVE.’ You know, let karma sort that out.” 😁
We had temps in the teens a couple weeks ago. Our hyacinths (and daffs, and crocus) laughed it off. A few days later we had afternoon temps close to 80° (#aprilweather) and half our flowers were over! 😫
And then the tulips came up. 😊
Gardening is for the hopeful soul who can accept what Mother Nature gives and appreciate it to its fullest. And when the inevitable fizzles occur, we scratch our brows and say, "Oh well, next year."
My offering today is a word gifted to me by a friend. The word is muditā. A noun, Sanskrit or Pali, meaning sympathetic or unselfish joy, or joy in the good fortune of others.
I find and relish in the joy I feel, expressed by each of you, every time I visit this blog and read these posts and the replies.
I Am #Grateful 🙏🏼🕊🙏🏼
My yoga teacher Sarah introduced me to the word mudita... vicarious joy. When one among us attains a pose we all celebrate.
I am tickled that you have associated the word with the muses and our readers!
I'm with you and your muses Gail Brrr! We have 4" of snow here in Southern Ontario. Hoping for warm weather and better blood counts!
4" of snow! If comparison can be the thief of joy, it can also be the bringer of gratitude! Thankful all of our snow melted in 24 hours. Stay warm my friend!
We have snow here, too, in upstate New York. Brrr is right. Thalia may have to share her balloons!
We'll take more balloons! We have a jump in temps for the weekend and then back to the 40s and 50s. C'mon spring! Warm us up. ☀️
I love - here’s hoping! There’s always hope. Even me who planted 10 little saplings just last week and now they are covered in snow.... I have faith that this weather will soon leave us and spring will settle in. Hyacinths are cold loving flowers or aka cool flowers as my gardening friends all call them. They will be just fine. After a day full of hail, snow and more snow, the sun is now peaking out from behind the clouds. More snow this evening and I am praying that is it for this year. I have had just about enough of it. Although Finn, my not so miniature Aussie thinks it’s fun! I love that he thinks it’s fun even though I am tired of it.
Xoxo
I always associate Emily Dickinson with hope -- "Hope is the thing with feathers..."
Henrietta loves the snow, too! She and Finn would probably have a great romp together.
Here's hoping for warming temps in the Midwest and Northeast!
I wonder how many other dog owners there are in this 3mm community? We have a medium (44 lb) labradoodle that revels in the rain. After our walks in the rain, I towel dry her. She leans her head against me, lifts her feet when requested, (I read recently that training with doodle dogs is more a negotiation) and just expresses more joy than I would have imagined a dog being able to do. Me, after a rainy walk? Not as joyful. Hail, snow, and more snow? I’ll pass.
Henny has begun to enjoy towel sessions, too!
Izzy is a smarty-poo(dle)! ❤️
Connection with our pets is a delight! And Izzie is the 3/4 poodle, 1/4 lab variety. Her use of forelegs, and coat, and head shape are decidedly poodle. Unbobbed tail is delightful.
It might reach 70 here in Missouri tomorrow again. I've put out two hummingbird feeders to catch the early birds coming north. Last year I saw the first one the last week of April! Yes, Thalia just float south.
The kid was in Missouri a few weeks ago fishing Table Rock. He (mostly) enjoyed great weather.
I have been seeing some beautiful close-up videos of hummingbirds on Instagram. They are a true wonder of nature. So beautiful! Do you make your own nectar with sugar and water?
Yes, I do and by Summer's end I'll grow weary of being a grandparent to those little pesky beggars.
haha! And that's why I love the seasons. Everything changes.
Someone wrote, “If Winter’s here, can Spring be far behind?” Inspired by the Muses I expect great things will happen. We might see 45F tomorrow by dawn, but through next Monday the highs will creep toward the upper 80’s! Not teasing, of course. The summer oven will be roasting humans soon enough. Is tomorrow morning your traditional yoga morning? Perhaps some poses will provide energy and increase blood flow. Or help being centered? Or bless you through connecting with friends and familiar faces.
CURE!
Yoga is Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings... so grateful I can still participate without skipping a beat. It would be lovely if yoga is helping my bone marrow.
As per directions, I am downing two tablespoons of unrefined, un-toasted sesame oil each day to help platelets. I'm also doing my best to eat citrus, peppers, and leafy greens in an effort to encourage white cell production. Even if there is no proof that it'll help, doing so certainly won't hurt.
Has humidity started to make you swelter... or not quite yet?
Most recent days, barring the ones with rain, have had surprisingly low humidity!
I planted hyacinths one year. They didn't come back the next year because the squirrels dug up the bulbs and ate them. That might be one reason I don't see hyacinths in too many yards down here. Lilacs don't grow down here and neither does rhubarb. Thankfully we can find kohlrabi in the Whole Foods and Sprouts stores. Wisteria is pretty but it doesn't have that wonder smell and it is a vine and takes over everything. I miss my Michigan seasons.
Ha! Those critters sure do raise havoc with our cultivated plants. I've tried to encourage them to stick to the weeds, but they ignore me!
Do you like rhubarb? I have a killer recipe for rhubarb scones that I can share if you are interested.
I was “force fed” rhubarb as a child. Rules of the house were to eat everything on our plates, and not leave the table until done. We raised the rhubarb but that provided little incentive to eat it! Thanks, but I’ll pass.
It's very tart. I have three or four regular desserts that I make with rhubarb... all include sugar and are enhanced with vanilla ice cream. The muses approve!
I’m all in on the ice cream, Gail. My mom used to make strawberry/rhubarb pie, made from the berries and rhubarb we grew. Frozen berries from the previous season. Never had enough sugar...
Every time I write about rhubarb, I find a few who have strong feelings of dislike. 😂
Rhubarb is almost non existent down here. We love it so on the very occasions we find it we stock up. Now that my daughter's cardiologist said we must follow the keto diet with no more than 20 carbs per day I don't think we can have it. If he ever tells us we can add a few more carbs we might be able to have a little every now and again. I spend sooo much time looking at recipes and calulating the nutrition for every little piece of food we eat I almost don't have time to do anything else. The good thing about it is that her BP is back down. Now we have to pryy he tells us she is not in danger of becoming diabetic.
That is thought provoking! And, yes, the extra work to select and prepare meals sounds onerous. Good luck with that process and best wishes for your daughter’s avoiding diabetes.
I’m a Florida transplant from PA. I’m guessing that you are familiar with crape myrtles. When I migrated in 1971, most had the coral-pink hued blooms. Now they seem to be the default plant for highway medians, parks, and seemingly everybody’s yards. And some unspoken rule says, “Never mix their colors!” How unimaginative! Caladiums are in the same “dig ‘em up” category. Not so much squirrels but they rot in cooler rainy stretches while dormant. All this has driven me to native species: flame azaleas, ash-magnolias (larger and more fragrant than native magnolias), silver bell bushes and the like. Years ago I planted a small orchard of apples and pears adapted to our N FL climate. A late freeze claimed all the blossoms once. Two other years, huge flocks of Cedar Waxwings descended and ate every blossom! And the apples were odious... Perhaps I’m a bit like Goldilocks!
I looked up crape myrtles... pretty! And they grow large!
One of my clients has a crape myrtle that could be 100 years old! The home has been in the family since it was constructed about 120 years ago! Now it’s well over two feet in diameter at the base.
I think you once (or more than once) shared a photo of a grafted tree with me. In spring it flowered in a multitude of hues. Can you imaging a grove of multi-colored crape myrtles?
That would be stunning!
I know what you mean. Here in Louisiana we only have two seasons. Hot and wet. Never dreamed the army would have sent us here. We were in Germany for 11 1/2 years. The weather there is like Michigan. Before we left Germany my husband said wherever we get sent next is where we will retire. We've been here since 1992. Everybody told us the culture shock going to Europe would be bad. They were sooo wrong. The culture shock was when we lived in Key West. The Christmas lights in palm trees. No snow in the winter. It's not much different here. All the yard decorations but no snow. Everybody wearing gloves and winter boots with hats and scarves with shorts. Crazy.
"Everybody wearing gloves and winter boots with hats and scarves with shorts. Crazy." This got a big giggle outta me!
This has me smiling ear to ear and chuckling as well… Not quite sure why, probably the visual I created in my imagination. 😂
Imagine- The ability to bring an image in… 🤔 • 😂🤣😂
In Wisconsin some people start getting antsy for their summer wardrobes and start wearing shorts when temps rise to the freezing mark. It seems a little bit of "I want what I do not have" happens in the south and the north.
You can take the Yankee out of the North, but you can’t take the North out of the Yankee.