Blue Christmas

 I came across this article about Blue Christmas, and I couldn't help but agree with the article. I have a friend who's lost a loved one around Christmas and I know the season's hard for her. I used to sympathize with her, but this season I was able to also empathize with her. This year, my mother-in-law passed away in October, but her funeral and burial didn't occur until early December, which has definitely put a damper on the holiday festivities. I'm not complaining. I really am not. I'm only acknowledging that I am more aware of loss and it's hard to feel happy during a season that's supposed to be so happy.

My Mr. Man and I did do as best as we could to create a decent Christmas for our children. We got them a live tree and decorated it, I got them lots of holiday candies, and I even made holiday cookies. They each got wrapped gifts from family. I did all of this because I felt that I had to create some semblance of normalcy for them. They understand that their grandmother is no longer with them, but at the same time they are also looking forward to treats and gifts (regardless if their father and I weren't 100% in a festive mood). 

At this point, we are trying to find a new normal. A new way of life. Maybe next might be better. I hope all is well with you. Did you have Blue Christmas this year too? Or was it a much better Christmas than mine?

To Everything, There is a Season

 I haven't had time to write actively about my garden this year. We got spring weather early in our neck of the woods. Then it got really hot and there was no rain. To make it even worse, there were wildfires from the west and the north that gave turned our air smoky. When late summer hit, it finally rained and we had spring at the end of summer. Now, we are having a mild fall, like last year. I haven't really clean up my gardens either. It's been hectic, to say the least. Then my mother-in-law passed away.

Yes, you read that right. My mother-in-law passed away in October. She will be missed so very much. To me, she was kind. She loved to garden and I enjoyed talking about the weather and gardening with her. She had been sick for a very long time too. Even though I told her during the summer that she had twenty more years to be with us, I'm not surprised that she chose to leave us in October. She's lived a longish life and I'm happy to know she is no longer in pain. To everything, there is a season. 

Friday's Quote: Joseph Kennedy Sr.

Image Credit: Enkiquotes.com

I discovered several weeks ago that an Old Friend was, and probably still is, grieving his heart out. His oldest son passed away over a month ago in a "freak" car accident. His son was still relatively quite young, going on thirty years old. My heart goes out to my Old Friend. And of course, to his son's family and friends.

It's never easy for the old to bury the young. Especially when it's a parent burying their own child. As I thought about my Old Friend and his sad situation, I was reminded of my parents' (they too buried their son). To this day, I know the heartache and sorrow they carry for my brother has not gone away. I think it is something that just is. A different state of being and there's no cure for it.

As a mother to a father, I give my condolences and only wish the best for him and his family. I'm sure my Old Friend has lots of family and friends to lean on for support. And regardless of our spiritual beliefs, I know that love never ends and his son still loves him very much.

Friday's Quote: Audrey Hepburn

Hello, Lovelies. Is it already July? I've been gone for too long. It wasn't intentional. I've had so many blog post ideas, but life kept getting in the way. I've been trying to find time to blog and write in these semi-trying times (only semi-trying because there are effective vaccines for Covid-19).

Life as I once knew isn't the same anymore. I'm trying to get it near to what it once was. Of course, it may never get back there. Yet, I'm finally trying to insert some kind of control over my life. For the past year and a half, it's been my Mr. Man, and my boys. I was distance-learning with my oldest, and trying to entertain all of my children while Mr. Man worked from home.

Amid the chaos of living through a pandemic, the only constant I had was my gardening. In the summer of 2020, I returned to gardening again and dreamed big. Gardening saved my mental health during a time when there was so much uncertainty and so much quarantining. It was wonderful to not only see things grow and dream of a bigger garden (and a happier, brighter tomorrow), but to start teaching my boys about gardening.

Then this summer, I really expanded my gardens. I love being in my gardens and I don't even care if there's nothing for me to do. I love being with my plants and checking on them. I find watering is a chore (I have been thinking about installing drip irrigation), but it is time alone with my plants. It's also, believing in tomorrow and a future. Even though it's barely July, I'm already noting what I'm going to do differently for 2022 and what I hope to plant.

How are you doing? How does your garden grow? 
 

Go Fly a Kite (Literally)

 

Books of 2020

It's March 2021! I should've posted this back in January, but life happens. 

I thought I was going to read more, and I did read a lot. But, like many others trying to survive the time when little information existed about Covid-19 (along with the tumultuous political climate at the time), I was having a hard time focusing on reading and being productive. I also was pregnant and had a baby. Then I had three little ones to care for, in addition, to worry about keeping them safe and healthy.  I'm still happy that I read a lot.

Anyhow, the following is a list of books I remember reading last year. Sometimes, I'm not always able to write down the title (or author) of the book and I forget to include the book. Anyhow, of the books I did read and record, I'd recommend My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. It's quite an interesting story. I hope you had a decent reading year in 2020.

1. Your Great Year
2. Leaving the Witness---Amber Scorah
3. Professor Chandra Follows His Bliss---Rajev Balasubramanyam
4. Everything You Are---Kerry Anne King
5. The Weight of Lies---Emily Carpenter
6. Winter Cottage---Mary Ellen Taylor
7. Hello Love---Karen McQuestion
8. Dear Girls---Ali Wong
9. Flame in the Mist---Renee Ahdieh
10. Stay and Fight---Madeline Ffitch
11. On Pins and Needles---Elizabeth Craig
12. Memories and Murder---Lynn Cahoon
13. Dead Until Dark---Charlaine Harris
14. Match Making for Beginners---Maddie Dawson
15. My Sister the Serial Killer---Oyinkan Braithwaite
16. Spell Booked---Joyce and Jim Lavene
17. Looking for Mr. Good Witch---Joyce and Jim Lavene
18. Putting on the Witch---Joyce and Jim Lavene
19. Fat Tuesday Fricassee---J.J. Cook
20. That Old Flame of Mine---J.J. Cook
21. When in Doubt, Add Butter---Beth Harbison
22. L'Appart---David Lebovitz
23. Night Shift Dragons---Rachel Aaron
24. The Night Garden---Lisa Van Allen

25. Pie Town---Lynne Hinton

26. On Turpentine Lane---Elinor Lipman

27. The View from Penthouse B---Elinor Lipman

28. Our Souls at Night---Kent Haruf

29. Summer Hours at the Robbers Library---Sue Halpern

30. The Last Curtain Call---Juliet Blackwell

31. Second Thyme Around---Katie Fforde

32. Murder in Waiting---Lynn Cahoon

33. Marshmallow Malice---Amanda Flower

34. A Body in the Backyard---Elizabeth Spann Craig

35. Death at a Drop-In---Elizabeth Spann Craig

36. A Body at Book Club---Elizabeth Spann Craig

37. Death Pays a Visit---Elizabeth Spann Craig

38. Cruising for Murder---Elizabeth Spann Craig

39. Cooking is Murder---Elizabeth Spann Craig

40. Death of a Wandering Wolf---Julia Buckley

41. The Big Chili---Julia Buckley

42. Cheddar Off Dead---Julia Buckley

44. Pudding Up With Murder---Julia Buckley

45. A Ghostly Undertaking---Tonya Kappes

46. A Ghostly Reunion---Tonya Kappes

47. A Ghostly Mortality---Tonya Kappes

48. Murder, Simply Stitched---Isabella Alan

Good-bye 2020!

 Yes, I am ready to leave 2020 behind. For as much as 2020 was a dumpster fire, it did have its moments (e.g. I gave birth to my little boy). And I know that COVID-19 isn't going anywhere, but it's nice to be able to symbolically declare that I am starting new, taking back my future, and letting go of the hot mess that is 2020.

So, my dear friends, I wish you a wonderful 2021. Here's to a new beginning, a better year, and hopefully more connections with friends and family. 

First Frost

There's an advisory that we're getting our first frost tonight, with the temperatures going below 50 degrees F.  (Such an early frost is so unusual, but then again, we did have a very early spring.) As much as I didn't want to, I took out many of my tomatoes and whatever pepper plants I had. Usually, by this time, the garden's a mess and I've given up on it. Yet, this is the first time that I didn't want summer to end and I really didn't want my gardening exploits to stop. Gardening has been good for my soul, especially with Covid-19. But, all good things must come to an end.

In addition to a handful of semi-ripe tomatoes, I picked the rest of my jalapeno peppers. I also pulled out all of my tobasco pepper plants. They had lots and lots of yellow peppers on it, so I'll try and see what I can do with those yellow peppers. I really wish the peppers would've turned at least orange, but it is what it is. Maybe next year, I'll plant the peppers earlier (I'm hoping to start them from seed).

It's time to think about fall, clearing out the garden, and continue dreaming about spring. I hope all is good in your neck of the woods (considering all of the forest fires occurring on the West Coast). Stay safe.

Walnut Wilt is a Thing

Last month, I wrote about my tomato plant succumbing to a wilt disease. Specifically, fusarium wilt. Now, I'm wondering if it's not fusarium wilt, but actually walnut wilt that weakened my Jubilee tomato plants and affected two other tomato plants.

I have a big black walnut tree on the side of the yard. It provides great shade, but as I've come to learn, it produces and secretes a substance called juglone (through its leaves, roots, nuts) that affects a lot of plants, such as tomatoes. Affected plants exhibit signs similar to fusarium and verticillium wilt (yellowing leaves, wilting plant, the eventual death of plant).  The wilting often happens early and midway in the growing season.

Now, it's highly possible that the area I'm growing my tomato plants may have fusarium wilt (or even verticillium wilt). But I think the most likely culprit is walnut wilt. My tomatoes are planted about 200 to 300 feet away from the walnut tree. I assume the tree'ss roots must be affecting my tomato plants in addition to the walnut husks that are littered everywhere by the dang squirrels.

The Jubilee tomato plants are heirlooms and planted closest to the walnut tree, and may not have any resistance to wilt. My Celebrity tomatoes, which are supposed to be resistant to fusarium wilt, actually started wilting at the end of July. I thought it was odd, but then assumed that it was labeled wrong and semi-resistant. Of course, knowing that walnut wilt is an actual disease, it makes sense that the Celebrity tomato plants would eventually succumb to walnut wilt. Of course, I haven't seen the Roma tomatoes wilt, but it is battling some other leaf disease right now (blight or septoria leaf spot).

Since walnut wilt isn't a bacterial or fungus disease, but more of a defense mechanism (in my opinion) for survival, the only real option is to plant my tomatoes elsewhere or cut down the walnut tree. Right now, I don't want to cut down my tree, yet. So, I'll look to plant my tomato plants elsewhere in my yard.

Do you have a walnut tree in your yard? Has it affected your garden or gardening practices?

Dearest Honeycrisp

My Mr. Man has waited seven long years. Seven! And finally this year, our little grafted Honeycrisp tree gave us apples. He tested one yesterday, but it's not fully ready. There are still several more weeks left before the apples are fully ripe, so my Mr. Man will have to continue to wait patiently.

If you've been reading my blog for some time, you'll know that I had planted a dwarf Honeycrisp about seven to eight years ago and a terrible storm broke the graft. I purchased a regular-sized tree, in which I gave away. Eventually, I settled on this current tree. 

I've seen blossoms on it in the last two springs, but no apples. I almost gave up on the tree, but this year it surprised us with lots of apple blossoms. I'm really excited, but not as excited as my Mr. Man, who's been waiting for the last seven-plus years.

I'll blog about the ripened appled at a later time. I hope all is well in your world and your gardens.