Salanova Red Butter Lettuce

 

 

Salanova Red Butter Lettuce

I never heard of Salanova Red Butter Lettuce. We found some recently at a nursery center. The lettuce originated in the Netherlands. It has a crisp, tangy flavor and contains calcium and fiber.

We have it planted in a pot on our back patio and have been enjoying the thick leaves in our nightly salad. It feels so different to peel a leaf off a growing plant instead of reaching into the fridge for the usual store-bought lettuce. The continuing growth enhances the flavor and crispness.

There are eight different Salanova varieties. We also bought a green lettuce and are enjoying that, too. Maybe next Spring I’ll look for any other kinds of Salanova lettuce that might have found a home in one of our New Jersey farms.

A brief description: https://www.verticalfield.com/our_products/salanova-lettuce/

 

Growing Veggies

 

Growing Veggies

We used to have a veggie garden on the side of our house. It was covered with screening and seemed, so we thought, to be protected from the squirrels and chipmunks that roam around our house. But we noticed that many of the ripened tomatoes had bites in them and the zucchini were ripped from their branches and scavenged on the ground.

We had to take down the screening this year when our house was being resided and, sadly, decided not to plant the garden there again. Yet we wanted to have veggies to pick as they ripened. So we planted some in large pots this Spring and spread the pots around the yard instead of in the former space. Maybe it will confuse the animals.

So far we  have been having fresh lettuce for our nightly salads. The cucumber plant is flowering and spreading out so our fingers are crossed that we might have them to eat as well. We can always buy organic vegetables at local markets but there is something truly satisfying about growing our own.  

Ahh, Azaleas

 

Ahh, Azaleas.

Azaleas come out early in the budding Spring season and bring such color and joy to what had been a winter drabness. 

The bush that these beautiful flowers are from is old and wearing down but even so, the flowers that remain welcome this Spring as if no time has passed. They greet the people who come to the front door and bring smiles to their faces.

I am grateful for their lasting beauty and although eventually the bush will need to be removed, I won’t forget what it so graciously offered us through these many years.

Learn more about azaleas:

https://www.thespruce.com/when-to-fertilize-azaleas-7500894

Vee-ing Across the Sky

 

Vee-ing Across the Sky

 

The geese were flying back

from their warmer winter places,

honking as they flew over our house,

speaking goose talk as they guided each other

through the winds and the clouds.

The vee was long and announced

how many birds were returning home. 

Spring brings such interesting things

for us to see. I wonder

what the geese are observing

as they watch our human packs

below them.

Spring is Coming

  

Spring is Coming

My backyard is beginning to awaken. The daffodils are flowering across the yard and brightening what had dulled during winter.

The daffies have been spreading over the years. They seem to decide where to plant themselves and then surprise me when they bloom. It’s a pleasure to see the vibrant yellow greeting me when I look out the kitchen window and it feels like the flowers’ energy is present when I do qigong exercises outside on a nice pre-spring day.

A daffodil is seen as a symbol of hope and healing. It feels like an awakening as it begins to bring our thoughts to Spring. It’s almost an invitation to set aside what the winter offered and to welcome what is yet to come.

Lots of symbolism about daffodils:

https://orchidrepublic.com/blogs/flower-facts/flower-facts-daffodils-spring-flower-arrangement-tips

It's Raining Snow!

 

                                        It’s Raining Snow!

The snow was falling as usual during this time of year, gentle flakes landing on trees and lawns, laying inches of white coating on cars and patios. Inconvenient, perhaps, but lovely to see.  

Then something changed. There was a slight rise in temperature and the snow started melting off the tree branches, splashing down like heavy rain. What was fluffy became squishy, thick and wet. It was very dramatic but shifted what started as an snowstorm into something new – it seemed to be raining snow!

I enjoyed watching the snow change as the temperature changed but it made me think of the way our climate is shifting. So much of our planet is dealing with new weather patterns. At least I was able to enjoy the snow while it lasted.

Here are some questions about what Mother Nature is going through:

  https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-priorities/tackle-climate-change/climate-change-stories/climate-change-frequently-asked-questions/

Shifting Seasons

 

                        Shifting Seasons

I was moved when I looked at the leafless tree. It seemed to be reaching up to embrace the sky. It will be like that through the winter months, allowing us to see its inner strength before it covers its bareness with beautiful greenery in Spring. 

It reminded me of our hopes that seem so barren in troublesome times, like the world is going through right now. We need to remember that we are strong underneath, that things change and that the world is flexible. If we can hold onto the understanding that life often shifts like the seasons, perhaps the beauty of humanity will come back into season.