I've decided to do it, For a few years, my friend, mentioned in this blog post, has been trying to get me to write a novel. Well I have decided to go ahead and do it since she has just published her fifth book. I'm a sucker for romances, I know they aren't too healthy for the mind of a Christian, but I just want to see if I could do it. I probably won't publish it but I promised her about four years ago that I'd write a book.
It's set in 1906 in Boston. We go on the Transcontinental Railroad to California and meet our heroin a couple days before the great earthquake and fires in San Francisco. A lot of shaking happens, then back to Boston and even to New York to hear Teddy Roosevelt talk. It is a lot of research and hopefully it will be a readable story. My mother an avid Romance reader will be the final testing ground. If she likes it, then I'll know it's a success.
Writer In The Making
Penduncles!
Well, I was going to chop off some of the stems on my Hoya obovata because I was tired of the stems with no leaves drying and falling off. I decided to take the clippers to them, but what did I find as I was going at a screaming fearful plant with hedge trimmers? It had put out penduncles! I'm told if you cut off stems with penduncles it will cause to plant to not produce any more and go into shock, I prefer flowers to aesthetic vines so I'll leave the dead twigs.
It's amazing how when you tell something you'll murderize it it decides to give you something to hang onto which will completely hijack your plans. Not that I'm not happy to see penguncles, I really am, but it could stop drying from the tip up also.
I really like the sony Mavica with the floppy drive, we've had three of them of different models. My camera had died on me about a year ago, so I bought a new to me one which was an older model. The two I have now are the FD-95 and FD-91. I like the newer model better. I was researching to see if I could find a local Sony repair shop so I could get the 95 model fixed. One of the suggestions was to bang the bottom of the camera on the but of your hand. After a few whaps it started working again. I still need to clean the floppy drive, but I've gotten a few more picures out of it. I am still looking for one that will go click,click,click and not wait a few minutes between pictures. In the mean time this one is just fine.
Thanksgiving was eventful, We went to DH's friends house for dinner. On the way home we stalled because we were out of gas. Luckily we had just enough fumes to get around the corner to buy gas at a whopping $3.55! 18 cents more than across the street, however we didn't want to get stuck while crossing traffic so we paid the ransome to get home and through another day of driving.
Today is my husband's birthday all I can offer him is some coffee, I hope that's enough to satisfy him because we really don't have much of anything else. The Lord is faithful though, so it will play out to HIS advantage.
10 Herbs You Cant Live Without
I was going through some old things I'd written on my website and I'll be sharing them through the days until I no longer have writers block. Here is installment #1:
10 Herbs You Cant Live Without
Mint: Can you believe there are over 500 cultivars of this wonderful plant? Uses are medicinal, for teas, potpourris, and even baking, to name a few. With so many flavors and uses everyone should at least find one they like.
Basil: The King of Herbs. This plant guards temples, lives in England, Thailand, Japan, and definitely it is loved in America. It is a must for Italian dishes, it has even found itself in desserts.
Chives: Smaller cousin to garlic and onions, it was used to give energy to the builders of the Pyramids in Egypt. You can use it in salads, as a garnish, or anytime you need an energy rush.
Garlic: Yes, garlic is considered an herb. It was also given to the pyramids' builders. It is a great thing to take when you feel a cold coming on. Garlic is also a good antioxidant. For a toothache people would put garlic in their shoe or tied to the opposite side's wrist. Since the oils are absorbed through the skin, this makes sense. (My Husband tried it and it helped him, surprisingly enough.) It can also be taken as a natural depression fighter, and yes it works for that also.
Parsley: For all those avid garlic eaters. It is mainly used as a garnish. It's there for a reason, just one sprig will kill any bad breath you have especially garlic breath. It is used in Salsa for that and other reasons, also.
Thyme: This tiny plant can be used in anything, from desserts, to main dishes, to teas. It is also used for medicinal purposes. Thymol is a great disinfectant, also.
Rosemary: I love this plant it needs a lot of light to survive though, not a candidate for inside culture, unless you can supplement it's light. In some parts of the country it is imperative that you bring it inside in the winter. It is better to grow it as an annual in those parts. Use a sprig for a BBQ brush, or skewer for shish kabobs.
Lemon Balm: The bee herb. This is the best plant if you need pollinators in your yard. Great in teas, and cakes also. It comes in lime flavor, variegated green and gold, and all gold colors also. If you want a wonderful shine on your wood, rub some lemon balm leaves on it.
Lavender: A wonderful plant for potpourri, bath time, and also crafts. You can also cook with it. This is also an outside plant.
Hot Peppers: Yes, hot peppers, The hotter the better to fight the nasty cold bug. Have you ever wondered why the Hispanics are never sick, probably because of the hot, hot food. And all peppers are edible. Peppers, like tomatoes are also perennials if kept in good light and out of frost.
He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and the herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; Psalms 104:14
Is It Time to Give Thanks or Just Shop Until You Drop
I heard on the radio today that many of the stores are opening at 4 am on Friday. Who in their right mind is going to be out at that time? I remember when I would shop on Day ofter Thanksgiving with a time schedule. Sears at 6 am, Circuit City at 7, then Kmart at 8, and all the stores in between. It was cool having 5 hours of shopping done and home at 10 am. Now that I don't have any money it seems like such a waste. Nobody ever likes their gifts, or they get put up, toys were broken by the end of Christmas Day. It's a big waste now.
Have I lost the spirit of the season? No, but I've realized it is important to find Christ in all holidays, not just the pagan one which was dubbed with his name. Yes Pagan, Michaelmas has been a holiday since before Christ himself, it is a holiday celebrating the winter solstice, celebrating the birth of Tammuz. Thus the need for ginger bread men.
So while you're out shopping for kids you only see once a year, remember it's all about Christ.
Colors Shown Could Be An Ugly Thing
Well, I'm unemployed again, and I praise the Lord for making it so before we moved. About 6 weeks ago we were contacted by DH's birth uncle, and it turns out that my husband is in fact Jewish, by birth, which once the blood work is done we could move to Israel. What were we going to do about the job we hired on as managers for a 7 year contract? Well The Lord took care of it. The bird lady started getting ugly and showing what she really was, so I started to have second thoughts. First she told me that I wouldn't be able to keep any sort of kosher, we had already decided to nill the pork and shellfish by then, so it was getting easier. Then she started to take parental liberties with my children she had no business butting into, and the last straw was when she lied to her lawyer to try and get her property manager's real estate licence. After that I knew we'd made a mistake by telling her we'd move out with her.
About three weeks or so ago, I prayed that if we were doing the wrong thing by moving with the bird lady, that the Lord stop it immediately. It wasn't half an hour later that my husband, daughter, and I were walking home in the dead of night. It's been three weeks and still she has over $1500 in wages and stuff that belongs to our family. I guess that's a small price to pay for being liberated from bondage. DH has told me to cut all ties with her so she has no reason to complain about us, well theoretically at least.
Anyway, I did get a few things out of the job. I got some doves, but Caesar, even though Cody worked his tail off to earn the bird, is not to be found in our home. The guinea pig had babies, so now we have 4 of them and the rabbits are still healthy, all are living in my plant room for the moment until I can build a coop for the doves and move the other animals to hutches. The cats are enjoying watching them and knocking down my plants in the process. We even have some strange cats hanging around, ugh!
I did get enough money to buy some beautiful plants from Grow, of which I am going to share with you all. (see below) I got a great deal on these plants, and I thank Nick for giving them to me. The crown jewel of the lot was a 5 ft Hoya obovata which cost me all of $38 with 15% off. I also got some huge epiphyllums and some other hoyas and a dischidia and a xero-something which is related to a cucumber. Maybe we should have saved our money, but it was great being able to buy things I'd not been able to in a long time.
Now to the exciting part, We got to meet my husband's birth father and some of his family. We also went to Magic Mountain and I got to go to the ESA meeting which was fun. I met people like Pat Dobbins of Epies by Pat and Mark Piette, of Epigalleria. I also met MR Beardsley, the curator of the Pentico Collection, the largest collection of Epiphyllum in the nation. I also came home with beau coup cuttings and plants from the meeting. I wish I could have visited some nurseries while in LA and SD, but it didn't work, neither did I get to meet any of my Garden Forums friends which I have been corresponding with for ages. I hope next time it will be less of a rushed trip, and we will be able to go more places while visiting with our newly found family.
Well that's what has been happening around here. We are excited to find out finally that DH is Jewish, and also grateful that the Lord stepped in and intervened in our behalf.
So here goes folks some pictures of my finds at Grow:
And a picture of a lovely I got from the ESA meeting.
Magic Mountain Here We Come
Well we've been in LA for a couple of days. DS's Shriner's appointment was a success. I just wanted to share a picture of my kids as we went to Magic Mountain. It sure was fun, even though I didn't ride on anything I lived the thrills though my children. I hate amusement parks, but we got discount tickets for our homeschool group and went.
It was nice being with other homeschoolers throughout California. I had some fun finding some cactus in the park, so I was happy to get some nice pictures of Agave americana in bloom. The hotel had only homeschooling families also, except a pair of ladies who had a bunch of alpacas. DD and I got to meet a few of the animals and pet one. It was even more interesting since the talk at the ESA meeting was on Peru and some of the slides were of alpacas.
We're off to SD to meet more of DH's family.
