Amaryllis, Pussywillow---the exotic and the mundane.
Both/ all are very welcome as we dig out yet again and prepare for another storm to come. This is a 'challenging' winter, isn't it!?
Hi everyone! Isn't she adorable! The little girl across the street, and her mom and daddy made this snow lady during Monday's storm. I love how they made the carrot's green topper leaves into the snow girl's hair.
And greeting me as I come indoors, my amaryllis is in bloom.
The magnificent red amaryllis are late bloomers, Christmas red for Valentine's Day.
Lots of pleasure from my on-sale find, the bulb was half price at 8.oo.
The plant was very tall and ungainly. "Why not cut the stalks off?" I said to myself.
Amaryllis makes a spectacular cut flower, doesn't it? This is the second set of blooms so far, below.
And what would late winter be with out some branches to force?
My parents used to send me big boxes of branches, forsythia, witch hazel, cherry and peach. Rhododedrun! Heather and winter roses when it was a mild year. All would, in time, bloom for me indoors and make me think of spring on Cape Cod. (My dad's tangled woodlot garden was magical, filled with flowering trees and bulbs.)
The local market had one of my favorites, pussy willow. So sweet.
I do love the fluffy grey catkins and shiny brown stems with my small collection of stoneware..
Progress is showing on one set of the daffodils. They are slow this year! My house is very cold and there's no lemony sunshine to warm these bulbs and make the grow.
These flowers are so charming and a joy in the depths of this winter---but they have no scent! So I have a new-to-me find!
Usually I clean everything with with Clorox, oh how I love the smell of Clorox! Clean-clean-clean! But since I had my respiratory problems and my friend Mel here nags me, I have looked into alternatives. This has been around for years! I have no idea if it kills germs like my Clorox does, but oh my! the scent of lemon verbena fills the house. I love it.
I wonder if they make dishwashing soap? Because, darn it!, my dishwasher is broken again.
Have a good weekend!
love
lizzy
gone to the beach.................
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You led me to remember several things today. (What an odd sentence.)
ReplyDeleteI used to force a Flowering Quince to bloom in the first home we owned.
My childhood home was filled with maple furniture. It was my job to polish it with Pledge. I still love the scent of Pledge. (In fact, I think I'll buy a can and polish my few pieces of wood furniture.)
Fun thoughts.
I'm into using Simple Green these days. It cleans well, but I do miss Clorox.
Take care and I hope you have a great weekend.
Hunter
Interesting find! Mrs. Meyers has lots of products in a bunch of scents... http://www.mrsmeyers.com/. They don't say anything about antibacterial, though. To kill germs you could spritz your countertops with plain peroxide (3%, can get anywhere, and it won't hurt you - you can use it for mouthwash!) and let it sit a few minutes, then clean with the nice-scented spray. OR you could add 3-4 drops of tea tree oil to the bottle of spray. Tea tree oil is a natural antibacterial.
ReplyDeleteBut YAY! for your for giving something other than Clorox a try!!! Clorox is BAD FOR YOU!
Pretty amaryllis! I had one for years, I potted it in soil and kept it going and it would bloom once a year. I don't remember what happened to it, I think maybe I got rid of it when the girls got the cats as they'd chew on it.. But my blooms were never that big!
Hope you've stocked your fridge and cabinets for the storm! Take care!
Pussy willow is also known as silver willow here.
ReplyDeleteMany people use it to decorate their houses in Lunar New Year.
Oh, that snow lady is precious. Makes you smile.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading when you reference your parents, they sound like very special people and it's obvious that the apple didn't fall far from the tree. Love that they used to send you branches to force.
The amaryllis and pussy willow are so very different, but each bring their own personality to the party!
I've seen Mrs. Meyers products, but have never tried them---you had me at lemon verbena. Makes me think that I should plant some. I love citrus scents. There's a little hotel in Palm Springs that uses a grapefruit scented body wash and I just about swoon when I smell it. I'm supposed to treat myself and buy it......some day.
Hope you and your family are holding steady during the bad weather.
---Kelley
I love the snow lady! We got snow the last two days. I just stayed home near the fire and the TV. Loving the Olympics. Have a great week! Kit
ReplyDelete