A POWERFUL DRAMA

"And Then They Came For Me: Remembering The World of Anne Frank" was the play I attended last night at the local high school. The play interspersed onstage acted scenes with onscreen taped interviews with two holocaust survivors, Eva Schloss and Ed Silverberg. The lives of these two people actually intersected with the life of Ann Frank. Ed was mentioned in Ann's diary as an early love interest. Unfortunately, they only knew each other a few weeks before Ann's family went into hiding. Ann Frank's father, Otto, married Eva's mother after the war. Eva and Ed's recounting of their lives during the years preceding and during World War II was powerful and haunting. The actors portrayed significant events mentioned in the taped interviews. The audience was able to visualize the fear and terror and witness through the survivors' eyes the horror of those dark years. This was a powerful dramatization. The memories of the holocaust events were the memories of teenagers trapped in a war and dealing with hatred they could not understand. The teenage actors did an outstanding job. I'm sure it could not have been easy to make themselves the characters they portrayed. In the play program Mrs. Schloss is quoted, "I have watched very many performances and each time have been moved by the deeply felt interpretation of the young actors and their portrayal of the humiliation, degradation and pain our families had to endure."

As the audience left the theater, a student reminded us to "always remember".

Unfortunately man's inhumanity to man continues to occur around the world. Chouchou Namegabe from the Democratic Republic of Congo was a guest on Cspan this morning. Her accounts of women being raped and tortured in her country were astounding.

What will it take to stop the madness!

What happened to October? How could thirty one days breeze by so quickly! The fall color was absolutely gorgeous this year. The many overcast, rainy days were great for picture taking, not so great, however, for seeing sun shine highlight and warm the golds, reds and oranges. The beautiful leaf show lasted a couple of weeks, now it's clean-up time.

I like to shred my leaves and distribute them on my garden beds. A friend gave me a few bags of aged cow manure, so I'm going to mix this with the shredded leaves on the beds as well as add some to my compost container. My plants should appreciate the added nutrients.

I bought some half priced spring bulbs at Meijer. I wanted to plant them in a place where I could see them from my kitchen window. The area is a little shady but I hope they'll have enough sun to flower. I had to pull out some ground cover and prepare the soil a little. I planted tulips, crocus, and alliums then covered the area with chicken wire so the squirrels wouldn't dig up the bulbs.

I got all the summer bulbs dug and my containers moved into the basement a few weeks ago. The Brugmansias and Glory Flower are enjoying the grow lights in the basement, they're blooming like crazy.

On Friday I'll have help cutting back the remaining perennials and putting away summer furniture and garden art.

VICTORIAN FUNERAL TEA

Have you attended a Victorian Funeral Tea yet? If you have any interest at all in history you would enjoy this look back in time. At today's event a mourning culture historian from Crocker House Museum spoke about funeral wakes and the various foods that might be served. The wake itself or "watch" was held to make sure the deceased was really deceased and to pray in the presence of the body.
A Dutch tradition was to use a funeral cake to invite guests to a wake. This caraway and molasses biscuit (Doed Koek) was inscribed with the initials of the deceased. The Amish serve a raisin pie called "funeral pie". Prune cakes were on the menu for English wakes. Jewish funerals discouraged pomp so only hard boiled eggs with salt were offered to guests.
Our speaker also talked about embalming, mourning clothing, mourning periods, and many other traditions surrounding funerals.
After the tea we were transported to a local cemetery where several early city dignitaries are buried. Local townspeople portrayed six of these early residents as they told stories or highlighted significant events in their lives.

SAGE

Today I attended a small Pow Wow with some friends. As we waited for the grand entry of the dancers we noticed the distinctive smell of sage permeating the air. This led to the discussion of the importance of sage in Native American culture. Many tribes consider sage a sacred herb. To these Native Americans, the smoke from burning sage offers remedy for physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental imbalances. Sage is thought to cleanse the body and mind of negative spirits and impurities.

I thought it would be interesting to try sage smudging so I did some research.

Here are some basic directions.

You will need a heat proof container, or hollowed rock.

Tie the sage in a bundle or crumble the dried sage and place in the container.

Light the sage, let it flame for a minute or two then extinguish the flame so the sage is smoldering and smoking.

Take the smudge container and using circular clockwise movements, encircle yourself with the smoke.

Additionally, you can use a large feather to fan the smoke around the room.

Start at the most northerly room and work clockwise through the house

Try to end at an open door.

Smudging is a sacred ceremony and should always be performed with sensitivity and respect

A VISIT TO GRANDMA'S HOUSE

My two and a half year old granddaughter recently came to visit Grandma's house for the first time. Anticipating the curiosity of a toddler I had put all my cleaning products on a higher shelf and placed large breakables out of reach. BUT toddlers are resourceful. I had forgotten about my miniatures. What is more attractive to a toddler than something that seems to be their size.

Baby Shelley claimed my 3"x3" copy of "Romeo and Juliet"; my little pop-up flower book; my tiny tea sets. She was fascinated by the small piano and organ music boxes. She even asked if she could pound on them.

I was surprised when Baby decided my step stool would be her high chair. She easily recognized the stool would fit her perfectly and be the right height for the dining table.

Baby and Grandma had a great time playing tea party. Of course, she was the hostess. She determined if and when her guest would get a second cup of tea. We also had coffee using miniature campfire coffeepot and cups.

Needless to say, I'm anxiously looking forward to Baby's next visit.

JEWELS OF OPAR

Aha, I bet you thought this post would be about a new jewelry line on Etsy.

A former president of Park Seed who happened to be a lifelong Tarzan fan was responsible for the common name for Talinum paniculatum. Ever read Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar"?

Limon Talinum is a chartreuse leafed, succulent-looking plant that adds great color and dimension to my container gardens. It sends up a stem of pink flowers that result in delicate cinnamon colored seed pods that dance daintily above the attractive foliage.

According to my research Talinum is only hardy to zone 9. However, I found it self seeded in several of my containers. I've even found it growing in the cracks of my patio. I'm concerned this plant could become a pest despite it's attractiveness.

I'll give it one more year, then decide whether it will be love or war.

Hibiscus trionum

This plant is so unusual and so mysterious I don't want to believe it can be invasive and a noxious weed. About three years ago I found it hiding under the leaves of a sage plant in my herb garden. The tender little flower bud is pale green and nearly translucent, it reminds me of a pickled onion. When I was finally able to catch this Hibiscus in bloom, I was delighted with the beautiful little flower. One of the common names for Hibiscus trionum is "Flower Of An Hour". The beautiful flower with cream colored petals and dark center only lasts a few hours. Other common names for this self-seeding annual are Bladder Hibiscus, Venus Mallow, and Rose Mallow.

GARDEN WALK

Have you had an impromptu brown bag lunch yet? Okay, the next step is an informal garden walk. Anyone can have a garden walk. I sent out emails to my contacts and phoned a few friends who don't email and invited them for coffee and a garden walk. I wanted to do the walk in the morning while the Morning Glories are still open. Also, walking through a garden at the beginning of the day with a cup of coffee in hand seems like the ideal way to enjoy nature's bounty. My garden walk was today and it was a perfect day. My friends stopped by and I showed off my most treasured blooms. Fortunately, a Tiger Flower was open. No one was familiar with this lovely flower that only blooms for one day. Although the Brugmansia (Angel's Trumpet) has been blooming for a couple of weeks, only one flower was open today. As we walked along the garden path, we talked about poisonous plants, such as Castor Bean and Foxglove; discussed whether red plants in the garden are necessary to attract hummingbirds; and chatted about the advantages of container gardening. It was a lovely morning. I especially enjoyed the interaction with fellow gardeners.

GARDEN DIARY ENTRY

Last week I purchased several plants from my favorite plant vendor, Jan, at my local farmers market. Jan's plants are always healthy and she brings many old fashioned perennials and herbs. My purchases included Chamomile, Datura, Sweet Annie, Hellebore, Rosemary, and two orange-flowered, unlabeled plants that were on sale. I'm running out of space for new plants so I needed to get rid of some invasive Bell Flowers to make room for some of the newbies. I planted the Chamomile and Rosemary in the herb garden after digging out some pesky Purslane.

My summer bulbs, which are mostly in containers, are beginning to bloom and I'm looking forward to the fantastic show they will present over the remainder of the growing season. I repotted most of the bulbs in the spring, nothing was labelled. I like surprises!

The Morning Glories have started to bloom, so most days begin with a stroll around the garden, coffee cup in hand.

ARE THEY WEEDS

Weeds are plants which grow where they're not wanted. If this is a true definition, the six feet tall mullein in the midst of my garden is not really a weed. It's the tallest plant in this part of the garden, it adds definition. I think it looks exotic not weedy and is an enhancement. then there's the Queen Anne's Lace, so delicate, so beautiful. How could I consider it a weed! I have placed cut stems of Queen Anne's Lace in slightly diluted food coloring and watched the flowers turn colors. What an interesting little project to share with your children or grandchildren! Goldenrod grows along the roadside but I like using it as a nice backdrop for my containers. I introduced Joe Pye Weed, another roadsider, into my garden two years ago and I love it. Last year I posted about Evening Primrose, a "weed" and a thug. But watching its lovely yellow flowers open in the evening is as thrilling as watching 4th of July fireworks. These are just a few of the "weeds" that reside in my garden. They require constant monitoring but the extra work is worth it.

AN OLD FRIEND

Last Thursday I attended the funeral of a family friend. Ethel Willie Johnson Reed was 105 years old. Hard to imagine being on this earth for that many years! The earth was fortunate to have had Mrs Reed for so long, she loved people and she loved nature. She saw beauty in everything around her. She also created beauty, with her paint brush, with paper, and often with small seemingly insignificant objects around her.

Mrs Reed was a tiny lady who wore her long grey hair in braids that she criss-crossed into a crown on top of her head. She had a tiny, almost squeaky voice that was as gentle as she. I never heard her sing but she sang in a choir for many years. She loved to travel. According to her obituary, she visited Egypt, Italy, London, Hawaii, and the Holy Land. I remember she would often anoint us with holy water brought back from her visits to the Holy Land.

Mrs Reed touched many lives during her lifetime. I hope her kindness and gentleness continue to be passed forward by all who met her.

SAVE THE DAY

How do you package a day? Maybe I can wrap the day in aluminum foil and place it in the freezer. In mid January when I'm thoroughly fed up with winter, I'll pull out my perfect July day, thaw it and enjoy the warmth, sunshine, and all the beautiful flowers.

GARDEN DIARY

Garden Diary. Oh, to have enough time at the end of my gardening day to record my activities in a journal. If I had done that last year after I planted my purchases from the native plant sale, I would have some inkling of what I bought. I was smart enough to plant everything in one garden bed and I placed the name tag beside each plant. Well, the tags are still there but all the information on those tags disappeared over the winter. In the grand scheme of things is it that important to know the name of every plant in my garden. Of course not, unless, of course , I want to research their growing habits or identify them for my garden visitors. It's a little embarassing when I have to keep saying, "I can't think of the name right now" or "I don't know".

So, what have I done in the garden recently? A fellow gardener was kind enough to share her overabundance of nigella, "love in a mist", plants and seeds. I planted those plus transplanted blue-eyed grass, deptford pinks, amaranthus, morning glory vines. and gentian. I fertilized all my containers. I found a plant with orange flowers hiding behind some milk weed. I sure hope it's butterfly weed. I've been trying to grow that for a number of years. It's been a real pain trying to keep my Heliopolis free of aphids. So far, with the aid of my trusty water hose I'm keeping them at bay.

I'm bummed that my garden doesn't attract more butterflies and hummingbirds. Today, a monarch did fly through..don't know why he didn't hang around. I've had a hummingbird at the feeder intermittently. It always startles me when I catch a glimpse out of the corner of my eye.

A couple of days ago I discovered a dragonfly attached to a piece of garden furniture, what a strange sight!

GARDEN PARTY

You wake up in the morning to the sound of birds singing outside your bedroom window. You open the blinds and know right away it's going to be a perfect day. The garden is mostly mulched and weeded and looks "garden walk" ready. Why not invite friends over for an impromptu party! Parties don't need to be planned weeks in advance, no need to agonize over menus, guest lists, or clean corners. My favorite get together is a "brown bagger". This is not the same as a potluck. Brown baggers bring food for themselves only. You need only supply seating and maybe utensils, drinks and/or desserts. Since my friends aren't i-phoners or texters and don't even check their emails regularly, I have to do a lot of phone calling. But if only a few people are able to come that's okay. How wonderfully relaxing to sit in your garden, enjoying the day and enjoying your friends!

VISITING CHICAGO

I love visiting Chicago. It's truly a city made for tourists. There is the beautiful Chicago skyline, including Sears Tower. The architectural tour by boat is fun and interesting...I wish I could remember all the facts the tour guide amazed me with. Millenium Park is outstanding. Everyone loves the big stainless steel bean or Cloud Gate. Wow, you can take a picture of yourself taking a picture! Then there's the Crown Fountain, I can't think of a more awe-inspiring water feature. The expressions on the faces on the towers change and change and change until water spews from the mouths, then water flows from the top of the fountain. It's heartwarming to watch the children having such fun standing under the waterfalls and splashing in the shallow reflecting pool. Millenium Park is great for people watching.

As a gardener and plant collector, I love all the beautiful street planters. Lots of research and planning went into selecting plant material for these mini gardens...not a geranium or petunia to be found. They are unique and they are gorgeous.

There are lots of free festivals during the summer, Taste of Chicago, Blues Festival, Jazz Festival, Gospel Festival, etc. There are free concerts in Millenium Park.

There is Lake Michigan and sailboats and Lake Shore Drive and Navy Pier.

There is the Art Institute, the Planetarium, and museums galore.

Is it possible to be bored in Chicago!!

VACATION MEMORIES

My sister and I put together this memory of a childhood highlight.

The Thompson Family’s Summer Vacations at Graves Hotel

The most exciting days of summer were the few days in mid July that my family spent at The Graves Hotel in Colton’s Point Maryland. July 16 was my Dad’s birthday so members of Dad’s family sometimes joined us at the Hotel to help celebrate.

Graves Hotel, which was about thirty miles from our home, was actually a resort located on the Potomac River. The resort was owned by one of Dad’s friends, Mr. Harry Graves. In addition to the hotel there were about six small cabins, a pavilion, and a wharf. There was no beach.

When my grandparents joined us they stayed in the hotel. I don’t know how many rooms were in the hotel but it seemed quite large to me. Everyone took their meals at the hotel. The dining room was large and elegant. There was a wait staff, cloth tablecloths, beautiful china and silver. The head waitress stood on the long front porch and rang a large bell to announce meals. We always “dressed” for dinner. I’m sure the meals were delicious but what I remember best is the iced tea. It was so refreshing, served over crystal clear ice chipped from a block.

The cabins (where we stayed) were very basic, some would say rustic. Each had a name, one name was Selena. The cabins had beds, dressers, and were equipped with old fashioned ceramic pitchers and saucers. There were bathrooms between connected cabins.

The pavilion had a long bar, a pool table, a juke box, a television set and slot machines. (Slots were legal in those days.) In addition to alcohol, beer and sodas, ice cream and candy could also be purchased at the pavilion. The wharf was just behind the pavilion. There were always several boats tied there. It wasn't unusual to see parties of “gentlemen fishermen” arriving with their catch of the day.

There was plenty of lawn area where children could play “hide-n-go-seek”, “green light”, badminton, croquet, or other games. There were swings and children’s play equipment. For the less active, there were plenty of lawn chairs and a four person glider.

It was the 1950’s, so resorts were still segregated. Black people from Washington and Baltimore traveled the sixty or ninety plus miles to vacation at Graves Hotel or Shirley K Hotel which was a luxury hotel with a pool near Graves.

We drive by what used to be the elegant Graves Hotel once or twice a year on the way to St. Clements Island. The property is now overgrown and the remaining building run down and crumbling. Our childhood vacation spot is gone but we still have wonderful memories of our family vacations there.

SHE'S BACK

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa. My dear Blog, how many ways can I say how sorry I am for neglecting you for so long.

What can I say, I really and truly have been very busy. Spring is here you know. That means I have double chores. I want to be outside working in the garden all day but there are those pesky inside demands like cooking, cleaning and laundry. That's one excuse.

I've also been substitute teaching more. (I'll need to blog about those experiences one day)

Excuse number three, I've been visiting family in Maryland. Okay, there was a computer available but I wasn't in blog mode.


Dearest Blog, I promise to do better in the future. Please forgive me!

SPRING CLEANING

Spring cleaning....ugh!! I have no idea why cleaning became a rite of spring. Anyway, I usually try like heck to ignore the urge to spring clean. Today, however, I was prompted to clean my bulletin board.

Some information has been posted so long it's no longer relevant. Some information is useful but I need to figure out a better way for me to access it. I have computer tips, travel tips, gardening tips. Unless I use the tips now and continue to use them regularly, how will I even know such tips exist. Posting notes on a bulletin board with other little slips of paper is not helping to add to my knowledge base.

For the computer tips I could commit to trying one each time I sit down at the computer. Maybe I'll try putting the other information in an e-document which I would review on a timely basis. I'll think about that.

One item on my bulletin board which will remain, is a printout of the words of "What a Wonderful World". The song is so beautiful and the words are so touching they make my eyes water each time I read them.

I see trees of green, red roses too

I see them bloom for me and you

And I think to myself what a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night

And I think to myself what a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky

Are also on the faces of people going by

I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do

They're really saying I love you

I hear babies crying, I watch them grow

They'll learn much more than I'll ever know

And I think to myself what a wonderful world

A TWO YEAR OLD'S WORLD

Life through the eyes of a two year old.... innocence, wonder and candor!



Making bubbles and watching them float away...sheer joy!


Where did the bubbles go? If I jump high enough can I catch them?


Can we look for the bubbles?


Airplane, airplane granma! If I jump high enough can I touch it!


A kitty! Hello kitty! Pet kitty! Bye, bye kitty!


Pretty flowers! Pink flowers! Pick flowers?


Run down the hill! Whee!!


Catch me granma!

BRAVE GREEN PLANTS

There comes a point every winter when I realize I've become too used to seeing snow everywhere. I have forgotten my front yard is naturally green. I have forgotten the many plants that retain their green leaves despite freezing temperatures and the two to three feet of snow that has covered them most of the winter. Three cheers for those brave soldiers!
Cheers too for the recent couple of days of warm weather (relatively speaking) and rain which have uncovered vinca, pachysandra, cactus, myrtle spurge, sempervivum, lamimum and hellebores. Plus, lo and behold, the star of bethlehem plants have started emerging. Could it be the ground hog was completely wrong and spring is actually right around the corner.

THE CEREMONY

The ceremony has begun. I'm watching CNN. The invocation has been given and Lady Aretha is about to sing. Her performance is stirring of course. (I love her hat, that's a real "church" hat.) Joe Biden's middle name is Robinette, did you know that. "Air and Simple Gifts", the musical interlude. is beautiful, it sounds so hopeful. It's now noon and BARACK OBAMA IS OUR NEW PRESIDENT!!!! The inaugural speech is powerful and inspiring, given by a man who appears confident and ready to accept his challenges. Our new president is challenging US, "get up and dust yourself off". "America is ready to lead once more". Wow, what strong messages our new president is sending to our friends and enemies around the world!!

INAUGUARATION MORNING

Tuesday morning, January 20, 2009. It was difficult to sleep last night, I was so excited about today's prospects. Right now I can't decide which broadcast to watch. Of course I'm tuned to NPR on the radio as always. When I can't be in front of the TV, I can depend on NPR to paint a visual picture for me. Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts are my usual morning show friends but I want to hear and see what everyone is saying...who are they interviewing. I want to hear poignant questions and thoughtful answers. The crowds in the city are unbelievable and despite the cold they all appear positive and genuinely happy to be a part of history. I have been snapping pictures of the television as the important people of the day come into view. It's all so awesome!!

INDOOR SPORT

I'm trying to think of something positive to say about the interminable Michigan winter. If I were an aficionado of winter sports I would be in hog heaven. The down hill and cross country skiers, as well as snow boarders and snowmobilers have been thrilled with the many inches of snow we've had so far. Ice fishers have been loving the days and days of sub freezing temperatures that assure their safety on the lakes. The Michigan outdoor sports people have great big smiles on their faces. Me, I sit inside flipping through the pages of seed catalogs.  Maybe the challenge of keeping my seed order below $$$ could be considered a form of indoor sport. 

SHARING

A friend sent me the email below. With her permission I'm sharing it with you.

Last night Tim had gone to bed, and I was doing my wait until you get sleepy routine. I looked out the family room window toward the bird feeders to see if I could spot any night feeders. The view was just perfect, and so beautiful. I found myself staring out the window, and when I would go back and sit down I would find myself going back to the window just to look. It immediately reminded me of a story I read to my children at school entitled OWL MOON. In it the author says, “The shadows were the blackest things I had ever seen. They stained the white snow, and the snow was whiter than the milk in a cereal bowl.” It looked like my yard was a giant glow stick. God had left the yard light on. The snow like the milk in your cereal bowl and the moon shinning on it was glorious. The light was so bright I could actually see the shadows of the trees on the snow. Then, the bunny hopping into the feeding place was just perfect. I went to the west side of the house to the sliding glass doors, and the yard to the west was the same not quite as bright but still picture perfect. I wish at that time I had Jera’s, my niece, talent for painting, or Phil’s, my nephew, talent for taking picture, but I could only capture it in my mind. The only problem with that is my mind is getting older, and how long the image will stay is a mystery. I had to share this with you all. I wanted to share it with Tim, but was afraid he would not be quite as thrilled with it as I was; being roused from a sound sleep might have put a damper on it.