Third week

This is the third week of September (already!) and a week with many things to be aware of.  Like, for instance, this is National Indoor Plant Week (Sept 16-22)

The goal of National Indoor Plant Week is to increase awareness of the value of plants in home or office settings.  Indoor plants are more than a pretty face.  They can help clean the air, relieve stress, reduce noise, and connect us with the outside.  Statistics have proven there is a large reduction of fatigue, headache, and coughs along with an improvement in overall well-being and attitude in individuals where plants were added to home or work place.

Myself, I’ve had indoor plants off and on over the past many years depending on where I was living and how my windows were arranged.  Right now, I have a bunch of plants indoors.  This past week I decided to move all my succulents and cacti indoors because of all the rain we’ve been getting this month.  (Of course, as soon as I did, the rain stopped!)  But they are all tender and will have to be moved indoors for the winter months anyway so now they are here a little early.  Not a problem.  There are still more that will have to come in before all is said and done but those will come in gradually when (if) it cools down. 

I’ve talked about air cleaning plants before but here are few I’ve not mentioned you can try –

  

Chrysanthemums are one of the best air-purifying plants you can add to your home. They can remove ammonia and other toxins from the air. Although this plant is an air-purifying powerhouse, it only purifies the air so long as its flowers are blooming, which is roughly six weeks.

Rubber plants are tropical evergreens. These plants love bright settings, moderate watering, and moist soil. They’re not particularly high-maintenance and are good at removing toxins like formaldehyde and carbon monoxide from the air.

Peace Lily is one of the few air purifiers that flower.  It adapts well to low light but requires weekly watering.  This year-round bloomer rids the air of the VOC benzene, a carcinogen found in paints, furniture wax, and polishes. It also sucks up acetone, which is emitted by electronics, adhesives, and certain cleaners.

Sansevieria, also known as mother-in-law's tongue or snake plant, thrives in low light. At night it absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen (a reversal of the process most plants undergo).  In addition to helping lower carbon dioxide, the Sanservieria rids air of formaldehyde and benzene.

In my current house, the problem I have with house plants is a serious lack of light.  While I have a number of windows, I also have solar screens on the windows and a number of trees that shade the house.  I think a couple of these would solve my problem!

Still, according to indoor plant people, Dracaenas, Bromeliads, Maidenhair Fern, Lucky bamboo, Ivy, and Philodendrons will thrive without much light. 

Take care

Once Upon a Time - 2

The Wounded Seal

A Tale from Scotland

Long ago in Scotland there was a small fishing village that stood at the edge of the sea. Now in this village was a man who had made his living from the killing of seals and selling their skins in the market. His father and grandfather before him had done it and it was the only way that he knew how to make a living.

One day the Seal Hunter got into his small boat and rowed out from the rocky shores.  He rowed, and rowed until he came to the place where the seals were gathered. He put in his oars and let the boat drift. He watched as the seals swam, and played together.

Soon a large grey seal came up beside the boat. Quickly he stabbed his knife into the seal, and reached for his net. But before he could throw the net over the seal it swam away, with the Seal Hunter's knife still in its side.

The Seal Hunter fished for small fish that day, and then rowed home.  That night as he was eating his dinner there came a knock on the door.

There stood a woman who had come to his door on horseback. She was handsomely dressed, but her eyes were sad. "There is a rich man who would like to buy many seal skins from you," she said. "I will take you to him."  She beckoned for the Seal Hunter to jump up behind her on her horse and they rode like the wind.

Soon they came to the edge of the cliffs and they dismounted. The Seal Hunter looked around but he could not see anyone else there. He was about to ask where the rich man was, when the handsome woman took him by the hand and pulled him over the edge of the cliff. Down, down they fell through the air and then into the cold sea below. 

They swam deeper and deeper and soon the Seal Hunter realized that he could breathe under water. In fact he saw that his body and that of his companion had become seal bodies.  They swam deeper and deeper under the water until they came to a cave opening in the side of the rock face. They swam into the cave.

As they swam deeper and deeper in to the cave, the Seal Hunter realized that they were in a great seal compound, a place with halls and rooms where many seals lived. The halls were dimly lit, but he could see many seals watching them as they swam by. All of the seals looked very sad, and there was a gloomy feeling all around them.

Suddenly his companion stopped and showed the Seal Hunter a large fishing knife. "Is this yours?" she asked.  "Yes," said the Seal Hunter honestly. "I lost it today when I speared a large seal that swam away with it."

"That seal is my father," said the companion. "He now lies dying, and only you can save him."

They came at that point into a darkened room. In the center of the room on a flat rock was a large seal with a deep wound in his hindquarters. All around, seals stood, looking on sadly.

"Lay your hands upon the wound," instructed the companion.

The Seal Hunter felt afraid, but he swam forward and placed his hand over the wound of the seal. All the seals swam closer to watch him.  The Seal Hunter was surprised to feel a great surge of feelings coming from the seal when he placed his hand upon the wound.  They were feelings that he had never felt so strongly before. There was great pain, and sadness, and hopelessness, as if the world would never be right again.  But gradually the wound began to heal, and as it did the Seal Hunter began to feel peace spread through him, and then hope, and then the greatest joy.

Suddenly the large seal rose up as if he had never been injured. There was great rejoicing in the compound.

The Seal Hunter's companion took him by the arm and said to him, "I will take you home now, but first you must promise that you will never hunt seal again."

The man did not know how he would ever make a living, but he also knew that he could not hurt the seals again.

The two swam up out of the cave, and up, up through the cold green water to the surface, and then flew up, up through the air until they stood on the cliffs again.  They jumped on the horse's back and rode like the wind back to the man's home.

There he jumped down from the horse. As his companion turned to go, she thanked the Seal Hunter. He saw that her eyes were no longer sad. The man kept his word and he never hunted the seals again.

A story shared.

Take care

Folktales from around the World  edited by Jane Yolen               and          The Fairy Mythology by Thomas Keightley 

A rainy day

It’s still raining off and on here which makes it difficult to be inspired enough to leave the house.  My usual “to-do” on days like this is to park myself in my chair with a book.  However, today, I have parked myself in front of the computer and to be curious.

On today, September 14 in ….

81 Domitian became Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus.

1741 George Frederic Handel finished his "Messiah" oratorio after working on it non-stop for 23 days

1752 Britain and the American colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar

Gregorian calendar  2018 MMXVIII

Ab urbe condita       2771

Armenian calendar  1467 ԹՎ ՌՆԿԷ

Assyrian calendar    6768

Bengali calendar     1425

British Regnal year  66 Eliz. 2 – 67 Eliz. 2

Buddhist calendar   2562

Burmese calendar   1380

Byzantine calendar  7526

Coptic calendar       1734

Hebrew calendar     5778

Holocene calendar  12018

Islamic calendar      1439

Japanese calendar  Heisei 30 (平成３０年)

Julian calendar        Gregorian minus 13 days

Tibetan calendar     阴火鸡年 (female Fire-Rooster)

Unix time      1514764800 – 1546300799

1812 Napoleon occupied Moscow

One week after winning a bloody victory over the Russian army at the Battle of Borodino, Napoleon Bonaparte’s Grande Armée enters the city of Moscow, only to find the population evacuated and the Russian army retreated again. Moscow was the goal of the invasion, but the deserted city held no czarist officials to sue for peace and no great stores of food or supplies to reward the French soldiers for their long march. Then, just after midnight, fires broke out across the city, apparently set by Russian patriots, leaving Napoleon’s massive army with no means to survive the coming Russian winter.

1814 Francis Scott Key wrote the poem "Defense of Fort M'Henry", which later became the lyrics of the "Star-Spangled Banner" 

O! say can you see, by the dawn's early light,

    What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming,

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

    O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?

        And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

        Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there —

            O! say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave

            O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,

    Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,

What is that which the breeze o'er the towering steep,

    As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

        Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,

        In full glory reflected now shines on the stream —

            'Tis the star-spangled banner, O! long may it wave

            O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore

    That the havock of war and the battle's confusion

A home and a country should leave us no more?

    Their blood has wash'd out their foul foot-steps' pollution,

        No refuge could save the hireling and slave,

        From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave;

            And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave

            O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.

O! thus be it ever when freemen shall stand

    Between their lov'd home, and the war's desolation,

Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land

    Praise the power that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!

        Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

        And this be our motto — "In God is our trust!"

            And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

            O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.

1868 Golf's 1st recorded hole-in-one by Tom Morris at Prestwick's 8th hole

1936 First prefrontal lobotomy performed in Washington, D.C. (note- some question about the actual year – some sources say 1936, some say 1956)

The purpose of the operation was to reduce the symptoms of mental disorder, and it was recognized that this was accomplished at the expense of a person's personality and intellect.  The patients were diagnosed as suffering from depression, schizophrenia, panic disorder, mania, catatonia and manic-depression with the most prominent symptoms being anxiety and agitation.  The youngest patient, Howard Dully was lobotomized because his stepmother said he was defiant, daydreamed and even objected to going to bed.  Today, lobotomies are outlawed everywhere in the US and most of the world.

1939 World’s 1st practical helicopter, the VS-300 designed by Igor Sikorsky, although tethered, took flight in Stratford, Connecticut

1968 1st broadcast of "60 Minutes" on CBS-TV

1979 Theodore Coombs completes 5,193 mile roller skate from LA to NYC & back to Yates Center, KS

Good stuff for your Did You Know? file

Take care

Did you know …

 September is Library Card Sign-up Month.  Pretty cool.  These days libraries not only have a huge selection of hold-in-your-hand books (hard, soft, and paper), they also have audio books (on CD), movies/TV shows (on DVD), and music (on CD) available to borrow for however many weeks.  Additionally, many libraries have computer stations cardholders can use, free Wi-Fi, plus the option to check-out ebooks and audio books on line.  If you don’t have a library card, you should get one today!

What’s good to read? 

Three Sisters, Three Queens by Philippa Gregory

It is the story of Katherine of Aragon (first wife to Henry VIII), Margaret Tudor (oldest sister to Henry VIII), and Mary Tudor (youngest sister of Henry VIII).  These three women, three sisters, will become the queens of England, Scotland, and France.  And, as such, they find themselves rivals, allies, and pawns during a time when the only constant in their lives is their bond to one another.  Written from the view of the least well known – Margaret Tudor, it’s interesting, well written, and convinced me I’d never want to have been a royal in the 15^th/16^th century.

Stork Raving Mad by Donna Andrews

OK, so I’ve read several of the ‘Meg Langslow’ books and they all are very entertaining – funny with a good mystery and believable characters (plus, so far, no one gets chopped into pieces, tortured, beaten, or raped).  Meg is 8 ½ months pregnant with twins and has a house full of drama students (due to a breakdown in the college heating system).  The sudden arrival two prune-faced administrators, the dean of the English department and a man from the college president’s office making demands and issuing ultimatums causes all sorts of problems.  And then, one of them is murdered.  Meg's house becomes a crime scene, and the only way to restore peace is to help solve the murder before dashing off to the hospital to give birth.  I really love these books!

The Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews

I read books 2 & 3 in this series, having read book 1 (Clean Sweep) some time ago.  Sweep in Peace  On the outside, Dina Demille is the epitome of normal. She runs a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town, has a Shih Tzu named Beast, and is a perfect neighbor.  Sounds nice.  However, her guests are all otherworldly visitors and her Inn is a living thing that defies laws of physics.  In this book, an Arbitrator shows up at Dina's door and asks her to host a peace summit between three warring species - space vampires, the Hope-Crushing Horde, and the merchants of Baha-char.  Big challenge.  It’s a really good book full of monsters, aliens, werewolves, laughs and suspense.  Book 3, One Fell Sweep, is just a good. First, Dina must rescue her older sister Maud, who’s been exiled with her daughter to a planet that functions as the most lawless penal colony since Botany Bay. Then she agrees to help a guest whose last chance at saving his civilization could bring death and disaster to Gertrude Hunt (the Inn) which comes under siege by a clan of assassins.  Again, it’s good.  Different monsters and aliens, funny in some places, sad in others. 

Sector C by Phoenix Sullivan

A sudden rise in stroke-like cases has CDC analyst Mike Shafer on alert.  Patients in every demographic from toddlers to healthy adults to the elderly, are dying with alarming rapidity.  Meanwhile, veterinarian Donna Bailey, is dealing with an outbreak of something like mad cow disease affecting multiple mammal species.  Mike and Donna’s search for answers take them to a big-game compound where they find a secret thought to be extinct for 10,000 years.  Good.  Exciting.  Interesting.  Suspenseful. 

Take care

 

I hear the siren song.

 All my flowerbeds are calling me – come out, come out, we are choked with weeds and grass, come out, come out.

Lovely green – yes?

No – Damn weeds!

Traditionally, sirens were dangerous creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and singing voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast.  The sirens that tempt me look less like buxom mermaids and more like a green man or gnome.  Believe you me, the song is just as alluring, promising, and deadly (well, maybe not DEAD deadly but troublesome just the same). 

or

  

or

Alrightie now – June, July, and August have been hot – very hot as in 100° hot and dry, like almost no rain dry.  When it’s hot and dry here, the ground is baked into something similar to cement.  The carefully planted roses, hibiscus, herbs and such tend to do poorly, however the weeds, trash trees (like pecan and hackberry) and grass just suck the humidity out of the air and keep right on growing.  Then September arrived and the temps cooled down – ok, maybe not a lot but went from the upper 90’s to the upper 80’s – yea.  And, someone turned on the rain.  Double yea!  Again, not a lot – a trace here, half-inch there - about 3-4 inches so far maybe - but it’s been pretty consistent for the past 10 days.  It has been a good/bad thing.  Enough to keep the flower beds and plants in pots watered and, annoyingly, enough to awaken the mosquitoes. 

So, Sunday, I gave in to the song.  After donning jeans, heavy t-shirt, hat and spraying arms with mosquito spray, out I went.  I decided to start with the front yard – fewer beds to work on.  Yeah, yeah – not that tempted.

As, I knelt beside the newest and smallest flower bed, I was completely besieged by berserker mosquitoes – all aiming for the one place I do not spray – my face.  IT WAS AWFUL!  I managed to stay out about 10 minutes and then ran for the house. 

So, now I’m keeping my ears otherwise occupied so I don’t hear the sirens.

Take care.

By the way – this is one of those “Where were you” days

Nov. 22, 1963
Jan 28, 1986
Apr 19, 1995
Sept 11, 2001

Brain work

I read an article the other day that said, basically, busy hands may be the way to making our brains very happy.  Perhaps so.  Back in the day, I worked with a woman who loved to iron.  When she’d had a particularly stressful day, she’d iron clothes – everything including underwear and socks.  Not my idea of a relaxing thing to do, but …. 

The article, written by a research neuroscientist, went on to say that when we engage in certain types of activities – hand work – we change the neurochemistry in our brain similarly to how drugs work.  She said, in the 19^th century doctors used to prescribe knitting to individuals overwrought by anxiety.  May sound simple but the repetitive movement and concentration increases and releases certain neurochemicals plus the end result is something pleasing – a hat or scarf or afghan.  Double bonus!

As I think about it, I find washing dishes, folding laundry, doing yard work, embroidery, crochet – those things, not soothing exactly but maybe comforting.  And, I have a positive end result.  Interesting.

I find it very hard to just sit without doing some type of activity.  That said, over the past several months I’ve been working on Christmas ornaments.  I make one for each grandchild every year.  The thought being that when they are grown and have their own tree, they will already have 20-odd ornaments made just for them.  So, now, when I sit down to, say, watch tv, I do a form of embroidery called cross stitch.  Making my brain happy while producing something pleasing.  Wow – who knew.

Many people think of cross stitch as – something simple, certainly not art, not really embroidery.  Wrong.  You start with a pattern on a piece of paper and a piece of blank fabric. 

And, count stitches.  Sometimes you can miss a stitch without problem but the ornaments I worked on this year – no missing any stitches or the pattern wouldn’t work.  I think I took out half as many as I put in.

Next, they have to be washed, stretched, trimmed to size, backed and the finish work done.  Finally, you end up with a piece of unique art.  And, a happy brain!

Take care

Laboring

There was a time when the Sunday before Labor Day was the day to start putting away summer whites. 

Rule:  No wearing white after Labor Day until Easter.

This was a rule my mother believed in completely and I followed, as a good daughter should.  Mostly, it applied to white dress shoes and sundresses.  Of course, winter white clothing was (is) acceptable.  The rule pretty much disappeared in the 1960’s and today people wear whatever whenever.  That’s fine.  I still put away white shoes. 

Curiosity – where did the rule come from???  According to some, it reminded people not to wear summer weight clothing during the winter.  Really?  I give more credit to common sense but…….  It is also thought that the rule was adopted as part of a larger movement to “educate” the nouveau riche of the late 19^th and early 20^th century.  Older society families were concerned about fashion etiquette and established a complex code of fashion rules to guide them.  And finally, there  was the thought that the fun-loving summer days were over, people went back to their regular lives where lightweight summer whites had no place in their "real life" wardrobes.  And, the cutoff for white clothing became Labor Day. 

Yes indeedy-do, this would be
hot during a Texas summer.

Labor Day came into being in 1884 when Congress passed legislation making the first Monday in September a day to celebrate “the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country”.  I wonder if we still do that – celebrate the contributions of workers. 

Today starts National Waffle Week.  That sounds good.  If you’re going to celebrate, do it with style by trying …

Vanilla Bean and Blueberry Waffles

Banana Bread Waffles

Crispy Bacon Waffles

Chocolate Chip Whole Wheat Belgian Waffles

Apple Fritter Waffle Doughnuts

Vanilla Yeasted Waffles with Roasted Peach Maple Syrup

Churro Waffles

Chocolate Waffles with Peanut Butter Sauce

Belgian Liege Waffles

……. and I had a bowl of cereal this morning.  Rats!

It’s also National Honey Month.  OK, so we all know bees produce honey from the flower nectar they collect.  And, they produce more than the hive needs to survive which means the excess can be collected and bottled.  Raw honey (unheated, unprocessed, unpasteurized) is best as the nutrients are not destroyed by processing.  Raw honey contains bee pollen, has a high content of antimicrobial agents and is full of antioxidants.  It’s been used for everything from a sweetener to a medicine to a beauty aid to an embalming fluid.

I used to make infused honey to sell at our local Farmers Market – herbs, rose petals, citrus, peppers, tea, spices – all give honey a unique flavor for …. say ….. Waffles!

I hope this Labor Day also signals the controller of the universe thermostat to turn down the temperature and turn the rain on more often!

Take care