Joy in the Little Things

[digitS']

@SPedigrees said:
Grew up eating sardine sandwiches with my grandfather and his pet raccoon...

That mental image had me in stitches. I'll bet that made for interesting visits.

First Lady Grace Coolidge takes Rebecca for a walk during the annual White House Egg Roll on April 18, 1927.

 

[SPedigrees]

@SPedigrees said:
Grew up eating sardine sandwiches with my grandfather and his pet raccoon...

View attachment 60345
First Lady Grace Coolidge takes Rebecca for a walk during the annual White House Egg Roll on April 18, 1927.

I know - our only First Lady from my state. They were an interesting couple. Rebecca was sent to President Calvin Coolidge from some official in (Alabama or maybe Arkansas, I forget which) as a dinner offering, but Grace went down to the kitchen and intervened on the behalf of the creature and brought her back up to live in the Presidential quarters as one of their many pets. Both "Silent Cal" and his stylish wife were animal lovers, and he once complained that he and his wife didn't have the time they would have liked to spend with each of the critters in their extensive menagerie. Their homestead farm is an historic site and my late husband and I toured it once. Lots of US Presidents have owned many pets, but I think the Coolidges were the only ones with a raccoon.

 

[Phaedra]

Nine months ago, in a snowy day, I placed some roses on this table in our main bedroom. They were from a humble variety and grew in some greenhouses under climate controls. Their mission and destiny are to become low-cost bouquets (1.99 Euro) and bring a touch of affordable brightness to people during the dark, grey, gloomy winter.

Their beauty is akin to the sand in an hourglass.

Nine months later, on a sunny afternoon, one of them continues its journey in our garden, adorned with pride and even more vibrant colors gleaming on its petals.

ChatGpt turned my above text for this rose into a poem, which is much more adorable than I expected. I am touched by the outcome, which is a miracle co-created by the plant, the nature, the technology, and well, also me.

The Journey of a Humble Rose
Nine months past, on snowy day,
Roses graced our room's array.
Humble blooms, in greenhouses bred,
A low-cost bouquet, their mission spread.

In dark and gloomy winter's hold,
Affordable brightness, their story told.
Like sand within the hourglass' frame,
Time has changed their fate and name.

Nine months onward, a sunny morn,
In our garden, one rose is born.
With vibrant hues, it proudly gleams,
A testament to life's lovely dreams.

Now it stands, a garden's grace,
In the sunlight's warm embrace.
From humble start to vibrant show,
In this garden, it continues to grow.

A humble rose, with colors bold,
In its journey, stories unfold.
Through seasons, it finds its place,
A symbol of beauty, in every space.

 

[Dahlia]

Nine months ago, in a snowy day, I placed some roses on this table in our main bedroom. They were from a humble variety and grew in some greenhouses under climate controls. Their mission and destiny are to become low-cost bouquets (1.99 Euro) and bring a touch of affordable brightness to people during the dark, grey, gloomy winter.

Their beauty is akin to the sand in an hourglass.
View attachment 60375

Nine months later, on a sunny afternoon, one of them continues its journey in our garden, adorned with pride and even more vibrant colors gleaming on its petals.
View attachment 60376

ChatGpt turned my above text for this rose into a poem, which is much more adorable than I expected. I am touched by the outcome, which is a miracle co-created by the plant, the nature, the technology, and well, also me.

The Journey of a Humble Rose
Nine months past, on snowy day,
Roses graced our room's array.
Humble blooms, in greenhouses bred,
A low-cost bouquet, their mission spread.

In dark and gloomy winter's hold,
Affordable brightness, their story told.
Like sand within the hourglass' frame,
Time has changed their fate and name.

Nine months onward, a sunny morn,
In our garden, one rose is born.
With vibrant hues, it proudly gleams,
A testament to life's lovely dreams.

Now it stands, a garden's grace,
In the sunlight's warm embrace.
From humble start to vibrant show,
In this garden, it continues to grow.

A humble rose, with colors bold,
In its journey, stories unfold.
Through seasons, it finds its place,
A symbol of beauty, in every space.

I love that color of rose! My favorite!

 

[Phaedra]

Love it!

 

[Phaedra]

Matchamisu (Japanese green tea flavour Tiramisu)

 

[Phaedra]

Last winter, when we did some shopping in a pet shop, we bought two tiny catnip cushions for our cats. They are really not cheap, and I have no idea what exactly inside. So I decided to 'customize' something this year and sow in the early spring.

Then I realized that what I sow are two different Cat Mints (Nepeta faassenii and Nepeta nervosa), which are attractive landscaping plants, not Catnip (Nepeta cataria), the long-used medicinal herb that drives kitties wild.

Anyway, I got three catnips and kept pinching them during the season. This made the plants bushier, and the cuttings also successfully rooted in water. I have about ten plants now growing in the different spots. As they are perennials and I will cut them back often, I am not worried that they will spread.

That's my joy in the little things today - I used some leftover pillow clothes to make two small catnip cushions. I know that our cats won't mind my newbie level sewing skill at all.

 

[digitS']

DW and I once thought of vending into the Winter season when a local farmers market found an indoor location. The location was promptly lost through mismanagement so that there was no second Winter season but that is another story.

Our backyard had a supply of catnip at that time. It was cut and dried along with some other herbs for sachets. She braided a tail and tried her hand sewing a mouse. No legs, no ears, with soft gray fabric – it did in fact look mouse-like . A round bottom, narrow shoulders, and a pointed nose and stuffed with both catnip and cotton. The cat owners bought them readily and said that their pets loved them.

The sachets were square and made with quite different material. They were filled with culinary herbs which had to be dried because the growing season was long over by the time we showed up for the December market. Easier sown but the mice were more popular.

Steve

 

[Phaedra]

As expected, they love their cushions,

 

[Phaedra]

It's difficult to find a ready poster that I like, so I decided to design them by myself.

"When you buy a coffee and share your thoughts in our guest book, you will receive a delicious snack."