Friday's Quote: George Santayana

"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it."---George Santayana

 

I'm sure that when George Santayana said these words, he must have referred to something on a more philosophical and grand level.  Not something like my pitiful heart.

My problem is that I remember too much of the past.  I am condemned to repeat my past because I hold on to so much.  Maybe I'm just not learning from my past.  I don't really know anymore.

Lately, I no longer want to remember anything else from my past.  I just want to forget and move forward.  I hope I will not be condemned to repeat my past if I choose to forget what has happened.

What do you think?  Are we condemned to repeat our past if we don't remember it?

The Power of Goodbye

To understand my mood, please listen to this:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHydngA5C4E

Fast and Furious 6: OMG!!!

Source: http://collider.com

Fast and Furious 6 is AWESOME.  It's so awesome that I even paid to see it twice so far (yesterday and today).  

Now, I don't follow the Fast and Furious franchise.  Really, I don't think I've even seen the entire first Fast and Furious, and I don't recall much of the second Fast and Furious (yet, I do know that the second movie is the suckiest so far). However, I have watched enough of the other Fast and Furious movies to know the general story line, who the characters are, and the key events in each movie.  I really loved Fast and Furious 5, but I think Fast and Furious 6 has a slight edge over it. 

I love the stunts, the action, how the storyline is evolving and tying all of the movies together, and I just love this one particular scene where Dom saves Lettie.  Seriously, that scene may have been fake as heck, but it made my heart stop and my eyes tear up.  That was why I wanted to go and see the movie again.  Talk about love lost and found again, wow, that theme really struck a chord within me.

I can't wait for Fast and Furious 7 to come out.  If you haven't seen Fast and Furious 6, I'd highly recommend it.  It's such a fun and truly awesome movie.

Who Am I to Say . . . It's Spring?

Sometimes Forgetting the Past is Best

Someone told me that one should never forget the past because it's what makes one stronger.  I don't disagree with this person's statement, but I also don't totally agree with it.

I look back into my past and know that there have been many experiences that have made me stronger.  Yet, I also know that sometimes things in my past should just stay there and be forgotten.  I have to admit that in my love life, I should've just let go and forgotten about my ghosts.  I realize that I've had a hard time letting go and forgetting, which have allowed these ghosts to continue to move forward with me.

I'm tired.  My heart is tired.  It's time to forget the past and to move on.  This time, I will not allow the ghosts from my past to continue to hitchhike with me.  No more.  Time to let go of my past and my ghosts, and to forget.  It's time to make new memories.

Good bye.

Signs of Spring

There's a rhythm to the changing seasons.  Living in an area that has all four seasons, I look forward to the signs indicating that a new season is finally coming in.  I am a bit perturbed when the signs are not present when I most expect it, yet I am satisfied when it finally shows up.

This spring, as late as it is, I am very happy to see my plum blossoms blooming (it's one of the earliest to bloom), and I'm excited to see the little buds growing on my crab apple tree.  This year, I thought that it might not survive because somebody trimmed and pruned it last summer without my permission (it was a nice gesture, but the timing was off).  I love seeing the baby maple leaves unfurled against the blue sky and shiny water.  I even noticed a little toad in my garden.

I'm still waiting for the rest of my spring flowers to awaken.  I know summer is already right around the corner, but I'm still waiting.

How is your spring so far this year?  Did you even get a spring?

No More Snow!

Happy Mother's Day and a Plant Sale

Happy Mother's Day to all.  I hope you've wished your mother a great day.  Today, I decided to attend the Friends School Plant Sale.  It's an annual plant sale, often occurring during Mother's Day weekend, that takes place on the grounds of the MN State Fair.  All proceeds from the plant sale go to the Friends School of Minnesota (a Quaker school in St. Paul, MN).

The Black Tartarian cherry tree in the front (on the right) and the Stark Gold cherry tree in the back (on the left).

This was my first time attending and I chose to attend during the last day, when the price of all plants were reduced by thirty percent.  I wanted another cherry tree because my Stella cherry tree didn't survive the winter.  Well, I came home with two sweet cherry trees, a Black Tartarian and a Stark Gold.  I really hope both of these trees will survive the winter and be able to fruit.  I really loved the plant sale and even hope to volunteer next year.  

The graft knot of my Lapis cherry tree.  The top is the grafted Lapis cherry tree (it's still alive).

If you want to find out more information about the plant sale, check out the following website:  http://friendsschoolplantsale.com/

Garden Update

Little, not yet green, buds on my Mount Royal plum tree.

I don't think Minnesota had a spring this year.  It's almost the middle of May and there have been some warm days, but it's still cold outside.  So far, my fruit trees have barely budded (whereas in other years I already have fruit developing).  Maybe this year, with the late spring (or no spring) turning into summer, there might not be a frost to kill off any potential fruit buds.  I'm really hoping that my plum tree will bear fruit this year.  I've been waiting for the last three to four spring and so far, no fruit.

Little green buds on my Morello cherry tree.

As for my seedlings that I started inside my house, my seedlings struggled and are no longer alive.  I'm so sad.  I haven't had much success in the past starting my seedlings inside the house.  I've always has a high success rate when I plant the seeds directly in my garden.  So I directly sowed into the ground herbs (e.g. cilantro, onions, parsley, basil), potatoes, peas, and radishes.  Yet, due to this year's very long winter, starting some of my plants from direct sowing of seeds outdoors isn't a good idea because the growing season is too short here.  This is especially for certain tomatoes and chili peppers.  So for these plants, I'm relying heavily on starter plants from the store to help make up my garden.  I really don't mind using plants from the store, I just hate that I'm limited to what's available.  For example, I've been trying to find Thai chili plants, but so far I've had no luck.  Just waiting for the warm weather and sufficient rain.

Using empty bottles (with the ends cut) as clouches to protect tender plants.

How is your garden coming along so far?

Friday's Quote: Edmund Burke

"You can never plan the future by the past."---Edmund Burke

 

I have a dear friend, whom I care very much about.  This friend has so gone through so much in the last several years.  Of course, I only wish this friend much life, laughter, and love.  Yet, I am also sad to see how much this friend thinks that the future is heavily influenced by the past.  Yes, the past does affect the future, but at the same time, one can still shape one's future.  Nothing is set in stone and the future cannot be planned according to one's past.  If I could tell this friend one thing, it is that one needs to let go of one's fears (especially those based on past experiences) and to just let the future happen.

Well, I am well aware that my future cannot be planned according to what has happened in the past.  The person I thought I loved the most at one point in my life and held onto for so long (since I thought I could continue to love him in the future) turned into someone I no longer want in my life.  The person that I had hoped to have a future with, because I thought he had a big heart and was so honest with me, has become someone who is selfish and uncompromising.  The person I have hurt the most, whom I thought I could never have a future with, is someone I now think I can have a future with because my views and tolerance have changed a bit.  Yes, I can never plan my future by my past.  Life would be too hard to live.

How about you?  Have you realized that you can never plan your future by your past?

Stairs