Hi! Welcome to my blog! Come and share with me in the beauty, wonder and enjoyment I find in the simple and ordinary little things of every day life, that have taken on an even deeper significance since my journey with cancer.
And the parsley just keeps growing too!
It's great to check out my little window sill "garden" every day! It's one of the first things I do every morning when I get up and each time I come home after being out for a while.
In the meantime, the parsley is just going along at it's own speed - very slowly!. Today, a few of the parsley seeds are finally starting to sprout!
By the way, I did break away from the instructions that came with the Jiffy pots. For several days I debated what was more important to me; following the instructions closely to see whether these Jiffy pots actually work (and running the risk that I would get mold) and actually growing some healthy plants. so... the pots are now without plastic covers, in the full sunlight (when it's sunny out). and no problems with mold or damping off yet. So far so good!).
A few days ago I mentioned that I was thinking of starting up some green beans too. And I did! First I soaked some seeds in very shallow warm water for two days.
After two days they started to send out small shoots 
and today I put them in some potting soil in a flower pot in our living room bay window where the pot will be cool at night and get full sun on sunny days. We'll see what happens... This is going to be fun! I'm enjoying this so much! It's just like springtime, constantly checking to see what's new in my "garden".
these impatients cuttings are still doing well. I cut them from the plants outside, just before the first frost in the fall and kept them in water in juice glasses until they grew roots, and then planted them in potting soil. I water them a wee bit once a week, just enough to keep them alive. If they survive, and don't get lice in late March or early April (which often seems to happen to me), then I'll start fertilizing them, let them grow bigger, and plant them outside once the chance of frost is over.
And this (below) is what the puzzle turned out to look like. I was surprised how much I usually use the picture on the box to orient me as to what goes where. It was a fun (and sometimes a bit frustrating) challenge! I'd never seen a puzzle like this before. Thanks, Alida! Another first!
It took only four days for the basil seeds to germinate and then I took them off the heater and put them in our cooler living room bay window.
Day 6 They've really grown a lot in 24 hours! Now the basil seeds have sprouted their first set of leaves. The swollen parsley seeds aren't showing any sign of growth yet.
According to Mark Cullen you have to, " watch carefully for powdery mildew on the soil surface or damping-off. At the first sign of either of these problems, remove the cover to allow fresh air to circulate through the container." So to be sure I don't have to deal with these problems, I've already turned the lid on the basil to allow for some fresh air to get into the container. The parsley tray is still on the heater grid and the lid is still closed. I'm thinking of starting up some green beans.
Years ago, (10? 15? 20? - I have no idea when) one of the things I did as a volunteer was to accompany a woman to her doctor's apppointments. She had severe environmental allergies and so needed help applying her oxygen if she passed out from gas fumes from the taxi , cigarette smoke, or whatever else in the environment would set off her severe reactions. She had experienced many sad, painful, and traumatic events in her life and her multiple health problems made life complicated for her. In addition to her Christian faith, one of the ways she coped with the disappointments and discouraging things in her life was with her "happy box". In this box she kept pictures of people and things she loved, encouraging and inspiring letters, notes, poems, etc. Whenever she felt sad or discouraged, she would look through her "happy box" and feast on all the beautiful things that inspired her to be happy and to count her blessings.
Our Christmas cactus in full bloom.
The other day we woke up to a blanket of fresh snow. It was so beautiful out as we walked to the pool for our early morning swim!
I've been getting so eager to watch something grow! So the other day I was thinking about getting a head start on spring by growing something inside. We found these "Jifffy" herb kits at Canadian Tire (hardware store) and bought a basil and a parsley kit. I guess I could have bought a few packages of seeds and some potting soil and used some flower pots from the garage, but I thought it would be fun to try these jiffy pots to see if they actually work.
The pellets quickly soaked up the water and expanded.
Day 1 - I fluffed up the soil with a fork
and then spread some of the seeds and fluffed up the soil some more to cover the seeds.
For the time being I'm supposed to leave this see-through lid on the tray and leave this in a warm place. It's a good thing I read the instructions to write them here, because I did not have my little green houses in a warm place, and I had already put them in our living room bay window in the direct sun, but just found out that they are not supposed to go in the direct sun yet. I'm not so good at following instructions when it comes to gardening, usually going with my own version of things. But I think I'll try to follow the directions (mostly) this time, to find out whether these jiffy pots actually work.
Yesterday we got together to remember and celebrate the life of my sister-in-law, Bonnie,who died a few weeks ago. To quote my niece Rachel's Facebook status: I "was blessed by many different people in many different ways this weekend".
We laughed, cried, celebrated,remembered and ate together.
It's amazing how being faced with our own mortality, through the death of a loved one, quickly cuts through all the small talk.
While leaning against the kitchen counter, snacking on pizza, we talked about the big questions of life. What is my life about anyway? What am I supposed to be doing with the time God gives me? Where does God want me? Does it matter what I do, or only how I do it?
And life goes on. How do we go on from here, as we deal with our loss?
I was reminded of God's grace that gives us a second chance when we've messed up; God's grace and mercy which is new every morning. I was encouraged to view change as exciting and an opportunity to see where God will lead next.
I was blessed by being with family; by songs, music, words of rememberance; and the testimony of Bonnie's life. It was obvious that God has used her to touch a lot of lives and that she will be missed and remembered by many.
As I was trying to fit the decorations onto the storage shelves in our furnace room, I saw so much "stuff": a pair of crutches that a nephew left behind this summer, a box of bows and ribbons, an old acquarium, some used lamp shades, boxes of school momentos from when our kids were little, some bins of things that Alida has decided she doesn't need to save anymore. So much stuff!!! But in the name of - "re-use and recycle", or "my grand children might like to see their parents' kindergarten drawings some day", or "the day after I dispose of this I'll be looking for exactly this!" - it's all still there, packed away in neatly labelled boxes.
I used to delay the post-Christmas cleanup as long as possible because it always felt so empty and dull after having enjoyed the coziness and colour the lights and decorations for almost a month. But the last couple of years I get to a point around New Year's Day where I can't wait to put things away. And then I get a "let's -declutter- and- clean up" attack.
Last week we helped some friends clean their house so that they could move back in after some major renovations. As I was wiping the drywall dust off their books and trinkets, I wondered what the significance of these items was to them. Are they souvenirs? do they hold sentimental value? Are they gifts received in honour of significant life events? Did they inherit this from a special friend or grand parent? Do these items hold special memories for them? If someone came to help me move or clean, what would they think of all the stuff that I've hung on to over the years?
So when I got home, I started looking at the shelves above my desk. Why am I keeping all this stuff?! The little koala bear that a friend brought me from Australia and a little white stuffed animal with a Santa hat, and a raggedy Ann of Green Gables doll and a cancer bear all went into the toy box downstairs. Some books are set aside to be given away. And now I have an empty shelf! Yahoo! I'm not going to put anything on it! I'm just going to enjoy the fact that I actually have one shelf that is completely empty! Happy 2011, everyone!
