Happy New Year 2009!

Photo courtesy of Đя εℓ7σв ♥ ~

***

The herbs

A few days ago I received this email from one of my subscribers:

"I have been growing a few coriander seedlings and one pot thrived and the other curled up its leaves and died. I couldn't understand this so searched the web to see if I had done something wrong. What I found was that coriander doesn't like too much water and the one that died was fully out in the weather when we had had a good amount of rain. The other was sheltered. I guess I drowned the poor wee things! Oh well, I am starting off again. The extra pot was for a friend, so now they will just have to wait another few weeks before the new seeds get going!

All part of learning to grow herbs."

Patricia guessed/researched right. Too much water won't do any good to most of the herbs. There's a general rule for most of the herbs we grow at home:

• they like a sunny spot, 
• soil that's not too rich and 
• they prefer to be on the dry side.

When growing herbs in planters, shelter them when possible and when sheltering isn't available, make sure the drainage is excellent.

Below is a very cute cartoon in two parts where popular herbs: parsley, basil, rosemary, bay leaf, dill and sage are very well represented through unique and entertaining characters.

Enjoy! :)

The Herbs - Parsley's Tail - Part 1/2

The Herbs - Parsley's Tail - Part 2/2

***

Merry Christmas!

Photo courtesy of yakkerDK

***

Christmas on the Beach

I met this couple on Pine Island on Saturday afternoon and asked them if I could take a picture... :)

***

Florida Alligator on Pine Island

I think it was David and his Dead who made this impressive Florida Alligator out of sand on the Pine Island's beach this Saturday. I'd give it 5***** (out of 5) for all the detailed work but I don't think they built it for any kind of reward. They were just having fun playing in the sand.

The authors of this creation have not been there any more when I took these shots but rest assured that this sculpture had a lot of admirers all afternoon long!

 

The birds added some very sophisticated imprints as well... :)



***

Seagulls on Pine Island

I've never seen that many seagulls on pine Island before. Of course I don't go there all that often but they sure were quite impressive. I took several photos and even a video. I'll post it here soon.

***

My Christmas tree

I think this is the most perfectly shaped Christmas tree we've ever been able to find and I really enjoy the smell and the fullness of the branches.  This year we didn't have too many decorations to hang on our tree. On the contrary, we could use more! :)

Since I don't usually overdo decorating, we didn't run out to buy another box of ornaments. For years now I've been only buying glass ones and the bright ones (my favorite) that stand out on the tree are hand-crafted of straw. I bought them in Slovenia in 1999 if I remember correctly.

My straw ornaments come in a shape of a star, an angel, a bell and a pine cone. I wish I could get a lot more of them!

 

Anyway, this is what our dining room looks like at the moment - and I purposely keep walking by - to catch a glimpse of the tree and aromatic smell of the spruce tree that reminds of of my childhood, when I went for a walk in the woods - full of conifers - every day.

 

Centerpiece from the photo above is a result of a funny coincidence (and of course I know there's no such thing as coincidences!)... ;)

While we were unpacking all the decorations, I all of a sudden saw several different pieces that were a perfect match for this centerpiece. Too bad the picture doesn't do it any justice...

 

And finally, my poinsettia with ivy - which I also enjoy very much. Ivy is another significant plant from my early years. My mom had one in the kitchen. It grew several times around all four walls and looked really neat.

So, that's my how my Christmas season looks on the outside - the part anyone can see.

Inside my heart, it's full of sweet memories and happy moments from the past and present. I hope so is yours.

***

The old linden tree

The old linden tree
Originally uploaded by myoakforest

My grandfather was the biggest linden expert I've ever met in my life. In my memories, I can still see him, standing in the front yard, smoking his ever present pipe and looking with love and admiration upwards, in the greenness of the linden tree, growing above the road passing by, in the curve of the driveway.

After a few minutes of observation and several neatly shaped clouds of smoke, he would tell me how many days before the linden flowers are going to be ready for picking and drying - for year-round supply of delicious tea that (at least in my experience) provides more warmth to your body than any other herbal tea.

The picking of the linden flowers took a few days and he would always start on the south side, where the leaves reached that mature golden color which meant they were filled with sunshine to the max and ripe, first.

Drying was also a delicate process because my grandfather wanted to keep every fragile linden flower whole, without crumbling. Just with as much caring attention as he was paying to the linden tree before picking the flowers, he was now supervising the drying process.

I am quite sure that winter was my grandfather's favorite time of the year. Small farm was a lot of hard work from dawn till sunset. Only in winter he was able to sit next to the welcoming wood-burning stove, smiling while reading an article about a distant country in the newspaper and enjoying a cup of his linden flowers tea.

This memory leaves me wondering if my grandfather was smiling like that because he was cozy and warm, because the newspaper story reminded him of something pleasant, or was it the mildly sweet taste of home-grown and home-made linden flowers tea that was making him feel so happy and relaxed.






***

Glass beads and silver stretch bracelet giveaway prize

Glass beads and silver stretch bracelet giveaway prize
Originally uploaded by sunflower19020

If you enjoy entering the giveaway contests, sweepstakes and drawings, go visit this webpage.


It has a collection of handpicked opportunities for you to win neat prizes from bloggers like me.


Giveaway Contests - Open Year Round page is updated daily so - come back daily to check out new giveaways.

Besides, there's still time to (maybe) win - a Christmas present?

Genuine glass bead stretch bracelet from the photo is just one of the prizes you could win.



***

A Cup of Tea?

A Cup of Tea?
Originally uploaded by Linda Gunde

One of the most valuable things about blogging is instant response - your comments.

It helps me continue and expand this topic and if you keep coming back you stand a good chance to get answers to your questions and concerns.

If you're one of those people who has never had an herbal cup of tea, I wouldn't suggest you to start out with parsley tea. Except in case that aroma and taste of parsley herb is extremely tempting for you.

Instead, start with something mild like chamomile or linden tea. They both taste and smell good even without the sweetener and they are mild enough for the children.

Other teas that most people like are: hibiscus, rose hip and peppermint.

Of course I shouldn't forget to mention the green tea - everyone has heard about its benefits - and some blends of mildly-tasting herbs, available from some trusted specialized online retailers like MountainRoseHerbs.com

And my last tip for today: Whichever tea you choose to enjoy, drink it out of your favorite cup!

My most cherished one is made of glass - what's yours?



***

Benefits of Herbal Tea

Energy Herbal Tea
Originally uploaded by Thorsten (TK)

I'm glad to see that my post about parsley tea stirred up some interest and more questions. I'll try to answer them all and give you everything I know or what I can find out about the benefits of herbal teas.

To everybody who is wondering about other herbs that you like and if you could make tea out of them - the answer is: Yes, you can make tea with probably any kind of edible herb.

Use these directions and if the taste happens to be too strong, dilute it further with more water - or use smaller quantity of your chosen herb next time.

I prefer my tea without anything but some people sweeten their herbal teas with honey (my choice would be agave syrup) and add a dash of lemon to enhance the taste.

If you are especially drawn to a certain kind of herb and the plain thought or aroma of it makes you feel good, there's a good chance that that particular plant contains something that would be very beneficial for you. Your body never lies - learn to listen again...

There's another secret to making the best herbal tea that not so many people know about.

You've probably heard about distilled water and how it's not meant to be drank on a daily basis because it could cause mineral depletion in one's body.

However, for making herbal teas, distilled water will bring out the most in the beneficial properties of the herbs.

Distillation process takes out of the water everything except volatile chemicals. As a result, distilled water acts "like a magnet" to attract minerals and other nutrients.

Enjoy your cup of herbal tea, it's supposed to be a treat! :)



***