After a morning of wind rattling the windows in the den (it’s always louder there) I moved my laptop into the living room. (I felt like I was in the storm scene in King Lear.) Much better. Though it was still unbelievably windy until about 6 pm, I felt much calmer. I guess all this mayhem was due to Tropical Storm Phillippe. I know that many are without power here in the Northeast. I am very grateful that I never lost power. But – if I had – I’d have still been able to cook because we have STELLA! And she runs on propane gas, so we’re prepared for a power outage now. I can still have coffee. I can make dinner. (Coffee being the most essential.)
I arrived home on Saturday to morning glories in bloom. The blooms are limited to this little area right outside the kitchen door. All the other sections where morning glories are planted are either gone because of that freeze or winding down. Today, there are two blooms. Since we are due for a freeze tonight, this may be their swan song. I’m okay about it. If Mother Nature gives me all of October to enjoy my garden, I’m more than grateful. I find I can handle saying goodbye in November. This year, I think the only porch plant I’ll overwinter is my geranium and the potted palm that gets bigger every year and is indestructible, despite having been knocked over by the wind twice this year.
The hollyhock is still blooming as well. I almost didn’t buy this plant because it didn’t look like the previous year’s hollyhock – can you believe it? I’m so glad I changed my mind. This baby has been the gift that keeps on giving. Thank you, sweet hollyhock.
What else? I’ve been reading about houseplants. I bought a book through Amazon – The House Plant Expert by Dr. D. G. Hessayon – that was published many years ago in Great Britain. It’s the “World’s Best-Selling Book on Houseplants” and it’s packed with great information and photos from the seventies. I heard it mentioned on a podcast so I ordered it. Which reminds me: I have to get that list together for you of Instagram accounts centering on houseplants and the few podcasts I have discovered. Now that I’m home, I’ll start working on that.
Yesterday, I was remembering the books I used to have on houseplants. I bought them in that previously referred to period in the seventies. I wish I still had them. They were fun and I learned a lot from them. I wonder if I can remember the titles? Maybe they are available somewhere out there in the vast cyber world? I do remember the books on talking to your plants. Still good advice, I think. I’ve begun talking to mine, just like I talk to the plants in my garden and the trees on the property.
Okay – now I’m determined to find those books. Wish me luck!
I’m debating whether to tackle the fourth and final wall in the kitchen. It’s a bit more problematic as it involves emptying and moving the china cabinet. We’ll see. This would be the perfect time to do it as I have a week and a half before I fly to Chicago.
Happy Birthday to my nephew (Mere’s eldest) who is 24 today. And Happy Birthday to my brother-in-law (Don’s little brother) who is 60 today.
Happy Tuesday.
We woke up to snow here on the Plains, and it’s still snowing! Very lightly. More Halloween babies! I am 65 today. Maybe a bit surprisingly, I’m not into Halloween at all, although I liked it as a child. A few years ago I saw a chart, and Halloween is something like the 5th rarest birth date of the year; I think Christmas was #1 maybe. Love the photo of the morning glories. I remember houseplants being all the rage in the 70s … made many, many macrame plant hangers in the 70s. So cliche, but true. Have a blessed day, Claudia.
Happy Birthday, Bess! I will be celebrating that same number next month! I think sharing your birthday with a holiday of some sort is never fun for anyone, especially a child. You want your special day to be yours only!
Hi Claudia,
Thank you for taking the time to do this blog. I really look forward to hearing what’s going on in a different part of the country.
I know what you mean about the wind. We had it for over 24 hours during Irma; usually hurricanes pass through more quickly. Like you, we feel comforted knowing we can have hot food, and we also have gas for the water heater so can have hot showers when power goes out. We don’t have AC, so our only worry is all the food going bad.
A book on indoor plants you may have read and that I liked is “Making Things Grow” by Thalassa Cruso. She also wrote “Making Things Grow Outside.”
I remember Thalassa Cruso! Thanks for the memory-jog. I’ll look her up!
The few remaining flowers here are about gone with this last frost. I’m just happy they lasted as long as they have. It’s cool but clear here, perfect for the Grands to do a little Trick or Treating!
Are you going to watch them trick or treat, Linda?
Not this year. A little tired. I’ve seen photos and they look so cute!
Take care, my friend. xoxo
My daughter and I cleaned out the gutters yesterday. Not the most fun chore to do on her day off, but necessary. Rains are supposed to start later this week. The air is noticeably colder, frostier. My kids know it’s cold when I wear a turtleneck and a fleece vest indoors. The cats have grown a thicker undercoat. They are so soft and fluffy now! And they are tucked in very tight circles with their little noses in their tail fur. Yep, cold weather is here…
Glad you found a place to tolerate the high winds and hope they’ve dissipated for a while. Looking forward to your Chicago travelogue! And happy birthday to your family members.
I’ll see even more family members in Chicago as Mere will be there for a couple of days and my niece and nephew and their families live there. And my best friend, too!
Thanks for that view of your piano area. I always enjoy seeing my (your) fur babies, too. And the McCoy birds. If I ever see one in a shop, it’ll be coming home with me!
You’ll find one, Shanna!
I love my babies’ portraits, Shanna.
Wonderful that you still have the hollyhock & morning glories. I love it when the plants are as eager to stay as we are to have them! I can’t believe you even NEED houseplant books, Claudia. You know so much already! I love them myself but am NOT very knowledgeable. I can identify a fair amount but that’s about it – no green thumb whatsoever – so over the years I have acquired some faux plants to supplement the few natural ones I tend. Have a VERY realistic English ivy topiary – a round ball – in a terra cotta pot in my bathroom. A lot of people think it’s real when they first see it. Also a giant boxwood [or something – it LOOKS like boxwood] in a white wicker basket on top of my armoire. REALLY sets it off. The armoire’s Amish-made – oak – and quite tall [6’6″] so a real ivy was out – too difficult to water. Put the heat on here for the first time yesterday. I always try to wait to Nov 1 for that but didn’t make it this year. Sunday night was tres chilly & the thermostat read 64 degrees when I got up on Monday. But I’m hoping for a nice Indian Summer November – I love just Indian Summer weather. This year our color is lasting because of the late start, so Indian Summer will look even more beautiful if we get it. Pretty please, Universe?? Good luck with the books – I bet anything you’ll find a few at least. The Internet is terrific for hunting down old things, isn’t it? Have a fun Halloween – even if it’s just some hot cider & your Mac for book searching! Peace. 🎃
#Resist
I have a lot yet to learn, Janet!
I’ve had to turn our heat on a few times. I try to wait, as well, but it isn’t always possible.
I used to have a collection of house plant books too…why oh why did I send them on their way? It will be fun to see a list of plant books…something to collect that I would actually use. I’m surprised you still have 2 morning glories and a hollyhock….especially after a freeze. It’s always surprising what gets hit with frost and what survives. Glad the wind has subsided…enjoy your day! ;)
I know! Why did I get rid of them???
It’s grown a little breezy this afternoon. But nothing like yesterday.
Coffee is essential, so Stella would be worth her weight in gold to me. My mom and dad are in Tampa. This last storm, they lost their power for 4 days but thankfully, their kind neighbor (who had a generator) brought them coffee every single morning…my family has a coffee addiction, to say the least.
Your flowers bring me joy. I have African violets that I love b/c my grandmother loved them, and they are really the only thing I can grow.
I wish I could grow African Violets – I don’t think I have the right exposure here. One of my treasure memories is of the African Violets my grandmother grew in her dining room windows, Elle.
Claudia, So glad you are okay and did not lose power. Yes, coffee is a must. :):) Me too girl. It’s amazing that some flowers still show us their beauty after cold and wind. Such a pretty hollyhock. Happy birthday to the boys. Blessings, xoxo, Susie
Thank you, Susie. We’ll see how those flowers are doing tomorrow. I hope they make it!
We completely cleaned our front porch today. Windows, floors, dusted, rearranged, and re-settled. I actually forgot it was Halloween, and around 1:00 we realized that we only had 3 hours left before the Trick or Treaters arrived. I am now completely exhausted. We do T or T’ing here from 4-7. Glad it is done, but that sprint at the end kind of did me in!! Getting old!!
We had a freeze on Saturday night and it took all of the remaining flowers. I have one mum in the ground that seems to be holding on, but that is it. The spider plant we brought in is doing fine. So glad about that. I had a shelf of plant books in the 70’s, too. Trying to figure out why I would have parted with them….did I think I knew everything?? Boy, that is too funny!
Happy the winds stopped for you and hope you had a good Tuesday!
I feel the same way – why did I get rid of those darned books???
You got a lot done yesterday! We were supposed to go down to 31 last night, but the morning glories bloomed this morning, so we clearly dodged a bullet.
Yes you are lucky to have Stella in case of a power outage….I have been buying a few 70’s houseplant books at thrift shops when I find them…I also got rid of mine way back when…pity…I tried so hard back then to grow African Violets but I just couldn’t get it right….I got tired of killing those pretty little plants and I gave up!…Maybe since so many years have passed I should give it another try….I will make sure to read up on them before buying…How nice that your flowers kept going until you got home….like they were waiting to say goodbye for this year….
I’m afraid to try an African Violet because I think we don’t have the right exposure here. My grandmother was the Queen of African Violets!
Glad you made it through your wind event.
Since you’ve just returned from N.O., and it is Halloween, I thought I’d share with you what families did ‘back in the day’ every Halloween in those old ‘cities of the dead.’ Since tomorrow is All Saint’s Day, and the graves have to be cleaned, Creole and Cajun families would spend the day (or the evening after work) in the graveyards on Halloween, washing the crypts and cleaning around them. This was a tradition in the Roman Catholic church, and although my family was not Catholic, we did follow the old traditions, as did most of our neighbors. In my mother’s day, it was quite the event, and families would pack a lunch or dinner and picnic in the graveyard, sharing their picnics with one another, telling spooky stories, and just stories in general. By the time it was my turn, it was less of an event, and more of an “Are we finished yet? All of the good candy will be gone!” event, where we negotiated when we could leave to go trick-or-treating. It is funny that, looking back, it didn’t seem at all weird to spend the spookiest night of the year in the graveyard. The graveyards were lovely and quite familiar to us, so I guess we didn’t think anything of it.
Have a lovely, spooky night!
Leslie P.
I hope they’re still doing that. I find the fact that New Orleans has a healthy view of death refreshing. The funeral parades, cleaning up the graveyards, all of that – they’re just so much more open about it.
I love having a gas stove, Claudia. We quite often lose power with storms moving in off the bay. We also have a gas fireplace-and light it manually if need be. I used to keep a candle and matches by my bedside during storms…and the…BINGO….put a Luminaire candle by the bed that turns on with a switch! lol Bye-bye matches by the bed. lol
Good luck getting the other section of kitchen painted. xo Diana
We don’t have a fireplace, I’m sorry to say! Wish we did! But Stella would definitely heat up the kitchen if we put the over on. Thanks for the idea about the Luminaire candle! I think I’ll get one myself!
I am so glad the wind as died down somewhat. When you have trees near the house it can be nerve wracking. We fortunately did not lose our power. I saw on the television that my are had the most rain.
Marilyn
I’m glad you didn’t lose power, Marilyn!
We’ve had off and on cold weather so my (neighbors) morning glories bit the dust a while ago.
Have you ever looked at the books by Thalassa Cruso? She’s long gone but I have several of her books, that I reread all the time. They are sort of journals of her outdoor and indoor gardening…very engaging. I think you’d love her books.
So glad the storms didn’t hit you badly. Welcome winter-let’s hope it’s mild.
Jane x
Yes, I remember those books. I think I’ll have to search for some used copies. She was terrific. Thanks for reminding me, Jane!