JANUARY'S SNOWS

Photo: Cauleen Viscoff

HAPPY NEW YEAR... I think

So rather than going out to play in the snow, we have been reading, napping, reading and napping - along with watching old Christmas movies with one snoozy eye open.

Our tree is up

…. and lit which is all we managed this year

… at least it is cheerful - maybe we will decorate it next year.

MORE SNOW...

The first few days of January have snow

…. lots or a little, it is beautiful.

(Which is only really good for those with cameras,

strong kids with shovels and big plows)

It can be very tempting to remove any ice and snow from your bushes….

Please DON’T… Proven Winners in their newsletter about flowering shrugs suggests that removing ice from a shrub can create more damage than if you just leave it to melt on its own.

If there is any resulting damage from heavy ice, prune those branches in late winter as the bush will still be dormant.

DOWNTIME

I rather like the time after the holidays - seems quieter, less hectic and even though some say the days are getting longer, it doesn’t make a lot of difference to me.

A few seconds or even minutes a day is neither here nor there because I prefer the ends of these days

… the dusk, the ensuing silence as the sun sets and snow muffles sounds…

And once in a while, I get up early to see the sun come up

PLANTING SEEDS??

I’m not actually into planting seeds but my friends are so when you are drooling over the seed catalogue, these are definitions you might want to remember:

(and yes, I’ve said this before but someone recently asked me to send it again…. so here it is.

… don’t hold back…laugh out loud.

(from Garden Digest)

PLANT TERMINOLOGY...

THE REAL MEANING OF PLANT CATALOGUE TERMINOLOGY

A FAVOURITE OF BIRDS: Avoid planting near cars, sidewalks or clotheslines

GROWS MORE BEAUTIFUL EACH YEAR: Looks like roadkill for the foreseeable future.

ZONE 5 WITH PROTECTION: Russian Roulette

MAY REQUIRE SUPPORT: Your daughter’s engineering degree will finally pay off

MOISTURE-LOVING: Ideal for landscaping all your bogs and swamps

CAREFREE: Your plant’s attitude; not your workload

VIGOROUS: Has a Napoleonic compulsion to take over the world

GRANDMA'S FAVOURITE: Until she discovers free-flowering, disease-resistant hybrids

FEEDING CRITTERS...

Redpole sketch - Cauleen Viscoff

bunny sketch - Cauleen Viscoff

Do some research and feed your critters what they need.... and want. Bunnies still eat our roses in spite of the expensive bunny food we provide... sigh...

Squirrels manage to empty the squirrel-proof feeders, so we give them their own space... which they sometimes use...

And little birds keep coming back for the small seeds...

Live entertainment like this cannot be bought.

ALWAYS ASK YOUR SQUIRRELS FOR THEIR ADVICE...

CYCLAMEN...

Because we miss flowers in our gardens, we buy beautiful blooming plants to satisfy our need for beauty indoors.

Cyclamen is one of those…. big or small they require different care than most indoor plants. They like moist soil but not wet and need water only when they wilt

NEVER water them from the top: their tuber-root is close to the surface and will easily rot if wet.

Lift the pot - if it's light, it's dry

Set the pot in a small dish of water and watch the water being absorbed

Drain it well before putting back in its decorative pot

It may go dormant in April when weather gets warmer, blooming less; a few leaves will turn yellow Some experts then say: cut off all foliage; put the pot in the dark, water once in awhile and bring it out in August

But mine never stopped blooming; the leaves stayed green and a few years later, it still looks like this… so…

you decide your own next step…why cut off growing or blooming stems?

THIS BOOK...

“Woman, Watching” - Merilyn Simonds wrote this incredible biography of Louise de Kiriline Lawrence who was born into Swedish gentry, married into Russian aristocracy, and after losing her husband to war, moved to Northern Ontario as a Red Cross nurse in charge of the Dionne babies. She left that media circus, becoming a recluse studying birds, their behaviour and connecting to the ornithological group of citizen scientists while making her own incredible mark and marrying again for love.

One of the most fascinating, compelling books I have EVER read.

Please support and order your copy from your local bookstore.

Take Cover Books

UNTIL NEXT TIME...

LIFE IS TOO SHORT NOT TO DRINK GOOD COFFEE:

Visit BOTH your local Farmer's Markets for fresh food,

great coffee and more

while meeting friends.

Both The DOWNTOWN FARMER'S MARKET

and the MORROW PARK MARKET

haVE GREAT COFFEE...

Direct trade coffee chosen and imported from Carolina's family's farms.

...and FREE DOWNTOWN underground (warm) parking...

... wow..

Carolina's Columbia Coffee

(if you live in or near Peterborough, you can order on line for delivery in town… )

Carolinas Columbia coffee

LUCY SAYS...

Go outside every day, even for a few minutes.... but wear your hat

Lucy says it is important to find something meaningful to do

when your “two-legged” parents are sick

to prevent boredom…. sigh.

Volunteer if you have some time....

VOLUNTEERISM is the RENT

we pay to live in a good community

Lucy says she would l love to volunteer

but is too busy looking after her two-leggeds

Remember - think PEACE...

Not sure about you, but for me, for us,

we are struggling with the idea

there doesn't seem to be as much peace out there as we hope...

So, here's what Louise Hay has to say about finding peace:

“How you start your day is how you live your day.”

We keep asking ourselves "how will I get everything done"? but maybe more importantly, who am I while I am doing all this?

Then maybe think about pleasant conversations with friends; maybe even a quiet moment waiting in line, in traffic or for an appointment or listening a snippet of music that makes you hum along.

If it all seems too much, too fast, then please take one moment for YOU

Close your eyes (except while driving),

take a very deep breath and ask,

what is peace to me... today

and see how it slides into your life

quietly as though on a butterfly wing..

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