April 11

I haven't had much to blog about in the past weeks.

Not that it's changed today, but I need to get back
to putting words to "paper" to rewire my brain
and get back to some sense of normalcy.

This morning was trash day and recycle day.

Mundane everyday needs to be removed from the house,

But,

when I looked up, the sky was beyond beautiful.

Makes you want to get up everyday to experience this beauty.

 

So, that gave me an idea for this post.

The small blooms and plants that sometimes

get ignored because of the spectacular

beauty of some others.

Marigolds

Not a sweet smelling flower by any means,

but such a beautiful small bloom.

I googled marigolds and this simple little

flower has a meaning that spoke to me.

It symbolizes the beauty of the sun,

grief over the loss of a loved one, and

remembering and celebrating the dead.

Now, that's appropriate for me.

I grow them to use in making soap, lotion and

aids in keeping pests off the tomatoes.

And yes, they're edible.

 

Impatiens.

This little purple flower is another in the

not so great smell department.

Yes, you can eat it, but the flower petals only,

The rest of the plant isn't edible.

The petals have a kind of sweet taste.

I googled this plant too.

They are called Impatiens because its the

Latin for "impatient".

When you touch the seed pods they burst open.

 

 

Geranium

I only have red ones.

The other colors don't interest me.

This plant symbolizes happiness and hope.

There's also a tie to the book

To Kill A Mockingbird,

in that one of the characters

grew them.

One of my favorite books!

This flower is edible.

It can actually be brewed into teas,

dried or eaten on a salad.

 

Mint

This entire area is a variety of different flavors.

Notice they are in pots.

Mint can be invasive so we

curb their tendencies.

Mint can "cross pollinate" with other species

of plants and tend to take on its "flavors".

Example is planting it next to some veggies,

it'll begin to taste of that veggie

That can result in a good or bad taste.

We keep ours together to retain the MINT taste.

Our mints are: peppermint, spearmint, pineapple

apple, chocolate to name a few.

 

Sunflower

The girls don't eat the leaves, but they'll

east the seeds.

Sunflowers are a beautiful flower.

This plant can be eaten in its entirety,

from the roots to the seeds.

The dried petals make a wonderful tea addition.

That's Nugget with her curious self.

 

Rosemary

We are starting new plants in small pots.

They are looking very healthy.

These are from Rosemary and are literally,

Rosemary's babies!

We have 2 healthy rosemary bushes that were both rescues.

Here's an odd fact....

Rosemary is of the mint family, but it's woody

and evergreen.

Its native to Greece.

It also has edible flowers that can be white to purple.

Ours have small white and light blue flowers.

One of its ancient uses was to reduce asthma attacks.

(don't know the truth of that, but it is

an anti-inflammatory)

 

Hosta

I just love these guys.

They do best in partial sun.

They are edible too!

The Japanese boil the leaves or eat raw ones.

It has a flavor like asparagus.

They have a lavender colored flower.

 

Succulent

I have no idea what these actually are.

The CEO picks a leaf whenever he can and I plant it.

They live in bowls on my bay window sill.

Succulent propagation is simple,

pick a leaf,

put it in soil,

Voilà!!

you have a new plant.

 

This is a close up of a couple of leaves.

One looks like it is dying,

but it's still blooming,

so we'll wait and see how it turns out.

Pretty, tiny, delicate flowers are still blooming on the leaf.

Another bowl of succulents, that go nameless.

Our granddaughter loved them so now we

have a small collection.

 

He's our mascot.

We've had this baby angel for a long time

He's a garden staple.

 

******************************

 

Well, now I'll go back to my current book....

Although I'm reading two,

I never get confused.

Books are part of me,

I did a DNA test,

and I found out that I'm

100%

Bookworm!

Ha!

 

*******************************

 

Just an observation....

I was talking to my grandson in the car yesterday.

When, after a lengthy discussion of his day at school,

he informed me that he no longer eats boogers.

He's 11.

I was thankfully relieved at that statement out of the blue.

Unsure of my response to this revelation, 

 I asked......

"Do you use a tissue?"

"No, I flick them"

"Ok, flick them.... where?"

"Everywhere, like my room, classroom, your car......."

"No! Don't do that! Use a tissue!"

"Oh, its ok Grammy, they are dried"

So, now I make a vow to vacuum the back seat!

We are driving along, still chatting,

and I glanced at him in the rearview mirror.

No!

He was excavating his nostril like he was digging for

lost Privateer gold dubloons!

He was so into it his eyes were closed!

"Stop that!

"Use a cockadoodie Kleenex!"

Then I hear a heavy sigh from the backseat.....

"I wasn't gonna EAT it Grammy!"

So,

just like that I was re-introduced to little boy logic.

 

P.S.

His sister wasn't in the car or that conversation would have

gone entirely different!

Kids!

 

*******************

Remember,

Live life how you choose

because this is the oldest you've been

and

the youngest you'll ever be again.

And don't sweat the small stuff.

Hugs!