Category Archives: 365 Things to Look Forward to

365 Things to Look Forward to – Number 22: Old Songs

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22. Old Songs

Call me sentimental if you want, but listening to old songs can really give me a boost. By old songs, I mean anything from the 70s and early.

Really, old songs are musical. They have decent lyrics, the majority of them, at least, and you can actually sing to them. Also, most of the words mean something–there’s a story or something else there. It’s sheer poetry in some cases. I’ve heard contemporary songs that I wouldn’t call songs, with music that I wouldn’t call music. And how is the endless repetition of an inane word or phrase over and over and over again meaningful or nice to listen to?

Those of you who like today’s music will have to excuse me. I’d rather listen to Astrud Gilberto, Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, Bread, The Cascades, The Carpenters, Barry Manilow (yes, I’m not afraid to admit it!), Jim Croce, Don McLean, Kenny Rogers, Kenny Loggins, Neil Diamond, Chicago, Abba, and singers and groups of that mettle. I suppose it’s music I can identify with, since I listened to my transistor radio every minute of every day that I could, and that was the music that was playing then. Still, I try to listen to the radio today, mostly at work where the young people are around, and I just cannot appreciate their music, except for some occasional lyrical selections. But those are few and far between.

Even more quaint are songs from before the 70s, particularly from the 50s and 60s, which was music my dad liked to listen to. I just love music by Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and other singers from that generation. They sang, they crooned, they wooed, and women swooned. I even like Elvis Presley, The Beatles (most of their songs, anyway), Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and more. I don’t even know half the names of the singers or half the titles of their songs, but I love listening to the music. There’s also the folk and country music from that period that you just can’t beat, and some of my favorites in that area are Simon and Garfunkel, and John Denver.

It was only when I started spending more time out of the house than at home that I stopped listening to that music, because I’d usually end up watching TV or going straight to bed when I got home. Now, I’m home most of the time–or at least a good deal of the time and I have time to listen to music again. And thanks to the Internet, I can easily find all the old songs! All I have to do is remember the title (which I usually don’t know) or the singer (many of whom I don’t know the names of–I’d lose any contest with the title “who sang the song???”) or some lyrics (at least 3 words) which is how I have found a lot of the more obscure songs!

And now, I have a playlist that will last me at least 24 hours of those songs from the 70s and thereabouts. I have a 40s playlist, as well as a 50s-60s. I have old jazz music from the 20s to the 80s (nothing can beat Kenny G for relaxing music) and as far as jazz songs are concerned, well, there are so many…I just don’t know the names! (Billie Holiday is one…or is it Halliday? what the heck…I still listen to the music).

That isn’t everything I listen to, of course, as I have collections of broadway, classics and new age music. I left about 250 cassette tapes when I left the Philippines. Now, I’m building up my collection of CD music, as well as old music I find on the Internet. When I discovered that, I became nearly manic, just looking for song after song after song and getting all titillated at the pleasure of hearing some of my old favorites.

And that’s what’s playing in the background now.

365 Things to Look Forward to – Number 21: Day Off!

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21. Day Off!

As a student, I never really appreciated the idea of weekends and summer breaks or Christmas breaks, or semestral breaks because they were fixed and always part of the schedule. Besides, all the way until I graduated from high school, I always wanted to be in school. If I could have lived in school, learning something new every minute of every day, or spending hour after hour reading every book in the library, it would have been heaven.

It was a little different in college, because I live right across from school in the school dormitory and was pretty much in control of my time, besides class schedules, of course.

When I started working, nearly all my jobs involved Monday to Friday work, except my theatre job, at which I worked 6 days a week, Mondays off. But because I love the theatre and every aspect of it, it wasn’t really work, was it?

After so many years of working, I am back at work in a place that is open 24/7, 364 days a year. So my days off are not always on the same days. And I always have something to do on my days off…for instance, when I get Tuesdays off, like today, I have it set aside for tutoring. So it’s not really a day off. Except that today, I can’t get in touch with any of the people that I was supposed to meet…so I suddenly have an unexpected day all to myself! Hurrah!

Baked a pie on my day off...

While I sometimes just want to cool my heels and have a really quiet day off just reading or watching movies on TV all day, I find that there are a million and one things I want to do or have to do. So my days off are full. I bake, cook, paint, read, watch TV, tend to my little rose plant (not worthy of being called a bush), clean, do laundry, do crafts, go to appointments, and just about everything else I can’t do at work. Oh, and yes, write and catch up on computer time. Although I try to do that everyday, sometimes, I only have time to check my email so my mailbox isn’t full of unread mail, and check Facebook for messages, notifications, and all sorts of other things.

...and shared it. Delicious rhubarb and cherry pie!

So, even if it’s an extremely busy day off, it’s a complete change of pace from work in the store, and something I always look forward to. If it were possible for every day to be a day off, I’d never run out of things to do!

365 Things to Look Forward to – Number 20: Helping out a friend

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20. Helping out a friend

Okay, so my friends know that this really isn’t unusual of me. I have gone out on a limb for people who depended on me especially when I happen to be the only who will speak out what others are afraid to say. But when it comes to friends, I go out of my way, and sometimes drag other people along, just to help!

Mind you, it’s not like I plan my day the night before by saying “Hmmm, tomorrow I think I’ll help Annie. I should find out what she needs help in.” Really, most of the time it’s totally spontaneous, and when it all works out, I get a bit of happiness out of it. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t do it so I get to feel good.  It’s completely the other way around: I feel good because I do it.

So my new friend Lori was moving and she was telling me about how she found this cozy basement apartment where she’d finally have her own completely private space that wasn’t just a bedroom. I knew exactly how she felt, because I felt exactly the same way (or quite nearly, I suppose) when I moved into my very own apartment to live in by myself in 2009. It really is the first time in my life that I had a living space that was all mine. No, hotel rooms where I stayed by myself when I travelled to deliver workshops and seminars do not count. The longest I ever stayed in any such place was a week. And those were all temporary.

Naturally, I asked her if she needed any help, and somehow it came around to my saying that Peter has a truck and I’m sure he’d be willing but I’d ask him first. And I did. And Peter, in his wonderfully kind-hearted and generous way, said he’d se what he could do about it…which really means yes.

So early this morning (early for a Saturday morning, that is) at 9:30, I called Peter and let him know I was ready to go. He drove around to pick me up and we drove off to Lori’s place, arriving just as she was getting back from her first load of furniture with another friend she had asked for help from. We were speculating that we could do short work of it if we had another truck, and didn’t a quarter-ton pull up, with a couple more friends to help! So with three trucks and two loads each, we got Lori all moved by around 12:30 p.m. Of course it was a totally unprofessional move, and would have infuriated anyone paying us by the hour, but there were a lot of chat-breaks and periods of trying to figure out how to position the boxes and furniture in the trucks and so on.

Pizza and more chat time after the move ended the morning and we finally broke off around 1:30 p.m., mainly because Lori had to go attend a kid’s birthday party and we had our respective Saturdays to return to.

Needless to say, it was fun, with many enjoyable moments, no mishaps, and new friends to boot. Not that we’re likely to bump into Lori’s other friends, but they do mostly work in town, so we are likely to bump into them.

PEI keeps getting smaller, little by little — or more like my little world is getting wider, day by day!

365 Things to Look Forward to-Number 19: Starting a book

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19. Starting a book

To a certified bibliophile like me, a.k.a. bookworm, one of the most exciting things to look forward to is to start reading a new book. In fact, sometimes the prospect of starting to read a new book is so exciting that I have to hurry to finish the book I am currently reading, just so I can start a new one.

If there’s one thing I can’t resist, it’s a book, especially if it promises to be a good one. Of course there are certain books I just won’t touch or be seen with, but at the risk of being hung by my thumbs by fans of such literature, I will not mention any genres in particular.

I love the feel, the sight, the smell of a new book, especially the hardbound editions. I can’t say much about the smell of a new pocket book, though. Not much stands out to attract my olfactory glands. But the smooth cover, the unturned crisp virgin pages–what a joy.

Not everything is perfect, of course. Many times, your average pocket book has a cover that suggests very little or has no relation at all to the title or the contents. I have to admit, though, that the cover, along with the title, are a main attracting point. There’s nothing like a catchy, fresh, original title that piques my curiosity. Add to that an intriguing cover design, and I’m a sucker born that very minute. If I had the money to buy every single book I am drawn to, I would have the Library of Congress in my living room. Okay, that’s an exaggeration. The PEI Confederation Centre Public Library then. Okay, okay. The Stratford Public Library, maybe.

But really, my dream room is a home library that is covered floor to ceiling in books, with at least three levels, like a tower or an atrium and those quaint ladders running along tracks around the room so you can get to any level quickly. And in that room, a bay window with cushions piled upon cushions overlooking some totally rustic country garden filled with weeping willows and riotous wildflowers everywhere. Maybe a garden bower with a hammock or wide, cozy swing where I can curl up and spend hour after hour reading.

My dream reading world aside, nothing attracts me like a book. You know what I mean, of course. Books have this unique magnetic influence on me, and I have been that way since I was a child. Ask my schoolmates. The best memories they probably have of me are me sitting in the grass reading a book.

Look at me–I still haven’t even gotten to actually starting reading and I’m all excited already!

Seeing a book with a title that totally captivates me, like “where a dobdob meets a dikdik” (yes, that is a book title!) has me so worked up, I just can’t wait to dive in. I imagine all sorts of deliciously fancifully outrageous words with a title like that. Is it obvious? I just love books on words. You won’t believe how many dictionaries I own. Or books on lexical oddities and other lexical explorations. Yes, I am a logophile of sorts. I love the new words I pick up from new books. I relish finding out the meanings of all manner of words and phrases and expressions. What could be more fun?

Don’t get me wrong. Geeky word books aren’t the only things that get me going. I love fiction with a passion, as well. And if it’s a mystery or detective story, you can bet I’ll enjoy it, as long as it’s not something with gratuitous violence and gore or foul language (oh, I’ll put up with occasional romantic interludes if the story is intriguing enough—which means I skip to when the interlude is over—and as long as the foul language doesn’t get in the way of the story, the way NORMAL people talk, pretty much, then I’ll put up with that as well). If it’s overloaded at the very start, I’m just not interested and I drop the book like a hot potato.

Naturally, there are authors I will grab without a second thought, and those that I avoid. Again, I will not mention those I will avoid, but I do love a Forsythe, Le Carre, or Ludlum anytime. There are several new bestselling authors as well, who write mainly mystery and suspense, who I don’t mind reading as well, since my top three don’t write as frequently (and Ludlum won’t write anymore, sigh).

I always read the blurb in the back, in the inside cover, anything before the actual text, and sometimes the first page to decide if I want to read the book. Sometimes, what looks interesting becomes a major let-down before the first chapter ends, or somewhere into the second chapter…and that book gets shelved or returned to the library long before the due date is up.

It takes a certain mood to tackle serious literature, and when I’m in that mood, then I go for the “literature” section in the library or bookstore. Naturally, I do have a few favorites in those areas as well, and there are those I will definitely always be quick to get, such as Umberto Eco, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabel Allende and similar fare.

There is a broad range of literature I will read, including poetry, short fiction (I love short stories, too and make it a point to get the Science Fiction annuals, or the Best Short Stories annuals, etc.). I do love science fiction and follow certain mini-series types, such as Terry Brooks, naturally Narnia, and absolutely Lord of the Rings, but I do love reading new books as well and am constantly on the lookout for new authors and new titles that aren’t another title in a long on-going series designed for or from video games or role-playing games.

I also love reference books, art books, cook books, craft books, and how-to books, as well as special occasion books, particularly Christmas books!

I try to imagine what new things I will learn, new stories, new lives I will encounter. Then, when I start the book, I stop thinking forward and just take each page, each chapter as it comes. It’s the hardest thing for me to do to put a book down at the end of a chapter or two because I have to go to sleep or go to work or do something else.

Ah, give me a book and you won’t hear from me for a long long time…as long as I don’t have any other things to do, of course. If I could only do one thing, just one thing for the rest of my life, I would choose to read books.

 

365 Things to Look Forward to-Number 18: Strawberries

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18. Strawberries!

Fresh luscious sweet plump ripe red PEI strawberries. Delicious. Delectable. Heavenly. The moment you bite into one and feel the sweet and very slightly sour or tart flavor oozing into your mouth is a moment you want to preserve…or repeat. Over and over and over again.

This is one of the things I look forward to in summer–when local strawberries are picked and brought to the market or supermarket. I have yet to go to a strawberry farm and pick all I want. That, I am positive, will be a delightful experience. Meanwhile, I enjoy fresh strawberries whenever I can get them.

Sure, we get the extra large strawberries from the US all year round. But they’re not always all that sweet. To be sure, there are the occasional properly ripened ones that are luscious and sweet to a fault. But the majority tend to be bland and crunchy, almost like eating a tart turnip, if they’re not overripe and mushy.

US strawberry next to a 4-inch paring knife

Now Canadian strawberries, and in particular, PEI strawberries, those are something else!

fresh summer 2011 Canadian strawberries

I have always been partial to fresh strawberries. Well, I love fresh fruit. There really isn’t anything like them. But strawberries. They bring back wonderful memories.

When I was pregnant with Bian, I craved strawberries. Mind you, they had to be fresh strawberries. Being in the Philippines back then, where strawberries were not native to the hot and humid lowlands, I had a hard time obtaining them, so they were a really special treat. The next alternative was whole frozen strawberries, which were available in the supermarket that I frequented. Again, that was not always available. So my third alternative was strawberry ice cream. Some nights, I would get up and look for one or the other, and heaven help anyone who was up at the time (or not) because I would not be able to get back to sleep without my strawberries.

I never craved that way before and never craved that way again. But oh, do I love strawberries! So every time there are fresh strawberries advertised in the weekly fliers, I go down to the nearest Sobey’s to get a pint or more of fresh strawberries!

365 Things to Look Forward to–Number 17: Windows 7!!!

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17. Windows 7

At the risk of sounding patronizing or as if I were advertising something, I will say that yes, Windows 7 is definitely something to look forward to having nowadays. Especially if you’ve been using Windows Vista.

I never thought I would advocate or advertise anything by Microsoft or even remotely related to Bill Gates and Microsoft, but you’ve got to admit that we’re prisoners of technology when we become dependent on them to make what we do and what we want to do easier.

When I arrived in Canada four years less a week to the day, I was impatient to get my computer  up and running. It would have been so much easier if I had known the people I know now, but that’s the past. Unfortunately, the best option I had was to purchase a brand new system, which I decided to do, since a great deal of what I do is dependent on my having a computer with my files and the software I needed to do what I wanted to do. I thought, back then, that I should have Windows XP or XP Pro, but nobody was selling that anymore. Or, if they had it, they weren’t pushing it. What they were pushing was the brand new Windows Vista, which came pre-loaded on all the new computers. So Vista it was.

At the start, it wasn’t too bad. But after a whole year of being loaded with all sorts of files and games by 2 co-users, which I really did not want on them, then another year of uninstalling all the said files and constantly trying to update or clean out files, several of my programs might have lost a file or two here and there in the process. After another year of almost constant use, despite the most judicious defragging and optimizing and updating and scanning, my whole system was slowly deteriorating, getting bogged down by all the start-up programs and all the cookies and caches it had to go through just performing a single task. At least I didn’t have any more co-users cluttering up my drives.

Soon, my browsers were constantly crashing and I must have re-installed several programs over and over again just to get them working. To my dismay, it was still not enough. I had finally reached the conclusion that I had to upgrade to something better than Vista and all the reports about Windows 7 had been good, notwithstanding all the hype. Thank goodness for a friend who is a wiz at computers, I wiped my C drive clean and, with Windows 7, am now up and running.

And how!

I am like a child in a candy store, and have yet to fully explore and exploit my new system, but I already like what I’ve seen so far. It will probably be days, maybe even weeks, before I’ve checked everything out that I can, but I know this excitement will last me for quite a good long time!

365 Things to Look Forward to–Number 16: Holidays!

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16.  Holidays!

Happy Canada Day! Yes, it is a holiday in Canada, and everyone is celebrating on PEI by staying home. Except, of course, for those who need to work today. Well, I’m really assuming everyone is staying home, basing that on the number of cars I see in the parking lot of my apartment building and the parking lots of the apartment buildings surrounding mine.

Indeed, holidays are something to look forward to, for several reasons.

1. It’s a great refreshing break from work. Usually, offices shut down for the holidays. Schools too, though they’re not really affected by this holiday because it’s summer break after all, and no one is in school! It’s a long weekend, too. Since the 1st of July falls on a Friday this year, people get Friday till Sunday off, and because it falls on a weekend, more people get even Monday the 4th off! It’s perfect timing this year, for those who want to mingle with the crowds trying to see the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, aka William and Kate, when they arrive in PEI on Sunday evening and race around on schedule on Monday.

2. It’s a time to celebrate. Depending on the holiday, different cultures and different religions have their special ways of celebrating the day. Public ceremonies as well as private traditions are held. In may cases, holidays are times when friends or families get together, simply because everyone is free on those days! Except for those who have to work. I have my own favorite holidays, besides my birthday, and that is Christmas! And because it’s such a huge favorite of mine, I’m saving it for another thing to look forward to.

3.  Premium pay. If you are one of those who have to work on a holiday, the thing to look forward to is time-and-a-half pay, or double pay, depending on the labour laws in your province, state, or country. After all, everyone else is taking a day off, so for you to have to work when everyone else isn’t working is going above  and beyond what is expected of you, hence pay that is above and beyond the usual. It’s only fair.

So go and celebrate the holiday in whatever way you want: picnic, beach, walks, parties, socials, decorations, eating out, or simply staying home to do whatever you want, including sleeping in or catching up on hobbies. It’s a free day, after all, so use it to do something you wouldn’t otherwise have time to do. Unfortunately for PEI denizens, shopping or malling isn’t an option on holidays, since most stores and malls close on holidays. A few might have shortened holiday hours, but in general, you can’t do your shopping on a holiday. The most likely stores that might be open with shortened hours will be grocery stores and pharmacies. And, of course, restaurants, because most everyone wants to celebrate their holidays with food, and it wouldn’t be a real holiday if you had to slave in the kitchen just to celebrate. It somewhat takes away the spirit of celebrating and taking a break. That’s why people who work in restaurants go to work on holidays–because most people don’t want to cook!

Sigh.

I need a job that lets me have holidays off, too, so I’d have more things to look forward to!

 

365 Things to Look Forward to–Number 15: Getting a Bargain!

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15. Getting a Bargain!

That’s right, folks. Getting a bargain is certainly something to look forward to, especially if you weren’t expecting it. It’s like getting a bonus gift or a great discount when you weren’t looking for one. That really makes it a gift item, even if you do have to pay something.

I just got such a bargain today. I decided to go down to Michael’s and get some tubes of paint, and while searching for the cheapest tubes of reasonably good quality that I could find, I found one color on clearance at $1.99 for a 120 ml tube! Now that was a bit of a bargain. But my bargain day didn’t end there.

I strolled all around the store, as I love to do, looking at all sorts of items and taking note of where I could get some things and at what prices. After making a full round, I decided to go back to the art supplies and didn’t I see a lonely wooden painter’s case–one of those little suitcase-like boxes, with partitions inside for paints and brushes and a wooden palette to boot! All at a fraction of the original price, and just because there was a little chip in one outer corner of the box. Of course I grabbed it. Why wouldn’t I, at $12.99? I was in need of one, and here was the perfect box, presenting itself. Last in stock, last on the shelf. That was certainly a bargain I wasn’t counting on, but I did take advantage of it, and I am happy about that little thing.

It made my day.

365 Things to Look Forward to – Number 14: Finishing a book

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14. Finishing a book

Every time I start reading a book, I look forward to finishing it. Admittedly, I haven’t finished every book I’ve ever started reading, so finishing a book is really something I look forward to. Except when the book is exceptionally dull or convoluted or just plain unreadable.

I have always been an avid book reader. Ask all my classmates in grade school and high school. They’ll confirm that. They used to call me a bookworm, I took special pleasure in that nickname. I always carried a book in my pocket…if it would fit…or in my bag, if it was any bigger than my pocket. And if I didn’t have a bag, I’d still a have book in my hand, wherever I went.

During breaks and before and after class, you’d always know where to find me–either in the library or on the grass, reading. I never really thought much about my reading habits back then…I just wanted to read anything and everything I could get my hands on, especially if it was fiction. My choice of reading material, of course, changed according to the times and the need and my mood and interests at the moment.

At present, I have several I am reading simultaneously…not that I read them all at the very same time. Just that I am reading them all. I have a couple of books on words I’m chewing through (sheer pleasure), a suspense novel (pleasure and time-filler), an art book (study), the latest issue of Reader’s Digest (bus-stop and out-of-my-handbag reading), a crafts book (self-study), a book on freelance writing, and a book on children’s writing and publishing. Oh, and a science fiction anthology somewhere. There are also a couple of other books that I started but temporarily shelved because I didn’t think I felt like reading them, as they seemed pointless at the moment. And a dictionary of slang that I recently acquired, and another book of quotations.

These books are in different places, mostly, and I grab them when I feel like reading and am in a particular spot of the apartment. Some I read continuously—I could read my novels forever, if I didn’t have to go anywhere or do anything else. I don’t know anyone else who will understand how I read books this way, but that’s how I read books. I used to finish novels in a day of guerilla-reading, sometimes as quick as in an hour–which was the length of lunch break in high school. Now, I usually leave novels to my bed-time reading. Anywhere from 1 chapter to an hour before turning off my bedside lamp to sleep, or the same before I get out of bed in the morning, when I don’t have to be anywhere shortly after I wake up. So it takes me considerably more time finishing a book of leisurely nature nowadays.

Regardless of the type of book I am reading, when I decide to finish it, I keep at it. Others, I don’t see myself finishing any time soon. Dictionaries and other word books, books of quotations and all sorts of anecdotes and wise or witty words are books I enjoy nibbling at, much like a box of assorted chocolates, whose flavours I want to last forever. You take them a bit at a time so you can savour each delectable bite-size treat, look forward to taking another treat and relishing a completely different experience, and when the box is gone, look forward to another box.

Novels and other fiction of best-selling  nature are like spicy hot salsa you can have on top of anything you want, really, but you don’t leave it in your mouth long. Those books, you finish fast.

Science fantasy, fantasy, and period literature are a mixed bag of spices leaving different flavours in your mouth. Some you swallow quickly, some you want to roll around in your mouth before swallowing. Some you try once, others, you use over and over again.

Books for learning are books that either reinforce what I already know or can do, help me recall and practice what I want to strengthen, or provide me with completely new knowledge or details of old knowledge that I never knew before. These can be anything from business books to language books to arts and crafts books. These are my cooking books, my problem-solver books, and other how-to books. Most of these, I finish reading but return to every now and then, because I most likely would not have read it in detail the first time around. Usually, I just skim over these books and if I find something immediately useful, I jot it down. Otherwise, I make a mental bookmark then return to the book when I need it.

I’ll admit I have books that I acquired because they looked like something I might try later on…and I still do have a handful of books that are untouched, unread. Thankfully, they don’t rot like real food would. They’d be the dried fruit or dried mushrooms or something like that, that you can keep forever until you want to use them. I suppose they’d have a musky, concentrated flavour as well, which I’d have to sprinkle with generous helpings of magazine reading.

Which brings me to reading magazines. These are all icing on cake, though some of them have exceptional flavours or flavours you want to experience over and over again. I thoroughly enjoy going through the pictures and trying out recipes from these magazines. Some of them provide me with vicarious experiences that I know I will never have—plunging down the ocean depths to examine sea life or sunken treasure…living in deserts or forests or mountains…travelling to destinations around the world that would never be in your average travel brochure. These are experiences of alternate lives I might have lived had I chosen to go down those paths of archaeology, exploration, and science.

Some of you who know me are probably wondering, where are the classics? I love classical literature. I even majored in literature. My genre of choice is drama, and I had books on drama that are hard to find.  I had boxes of books of classical literature, the bulk of which are drama–and my nieces know that, because those books are now with them–except for a treasured few that I have kept, and a few more that I have acquired since setting roots in new ground. I did acquire a membership to The Folio Club, which can provide me with all the classics I want, in classic binding, at classic prices, which I can’t really afford. And some of those books, because I have already read them but wanted classic copies to grace my shelves, remain in their clear plastic wrap. Mint editions, that may one day be worth a fortune. Who knows, I may yet have grandchildren who will be bookworms as their grandmother was. I am done collecting classics. Nearly every book of classic literature that I bought, I have read. I have also read classic literature that was not in my old collection, nor in my new collection, because they were library books that I could not keep. I have even read some classic literature on-line. And I have read classic literature from Papa’s Classics Club collection, that I truly wish Mama had deemed fit to give to me. But of course, that wish is like asking for the moon. But the books I read are already in my heart, the stories squirrelled away in some neural wiring in my brain. The only real and extensive collection I have and continue to build is my collection of word books–dictionaries, etymologies, idioms, euphemisms, quotes, and such. My fascination with words far exceeds my fascination with literary plots and themes, because the plots and themes repeat themselves; the words don’t.

I will still read literature that may one day be the stuff of classic literature, and certainly, I hope to write more literature and eventually publish work that might be remembered vaguely in the annals of literature hundreds of years from now. I will still read literature that will be forgotten once a new best seller climbs to the top of the list, as well as literature that only a few people will ever care to read, and I certainly, as well, hope to write some of that literature and earn a living out of it.

But in the meantime, I am a reader, and nothing will stop that. I know that, if I ever lose my sight, I will have audio books and braille books to fill up the dark space before me with the multi-coloured images and scenes of books written by people for people like me who look forward to turning that last page of a book and take a long look once again at the front and back covers, maybe hold the book close to the heart, before putting it away on a shelf or in a box for others to read.

 

 

365 Things to Look Forward to-Number 13: A new bloom

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13. A new bloom

I have never had a green thumb. The best way plants grow with me is when I generally leave them alone. This is usually the case, since I am terrible at remembering to water them. So, unless they can grow on a low budget, with whatever earth I have in a pot or find around or dig up, and whatever water I remember to give them, and whatever sunlight they can get from wherever they happen to grow, then plants had better leave me alone.

It’s a completely different story, of course, when I receive a plant.

Someone gave me a fortune plant a couple about three years ago. As far as I know, they are a hardy bunch and not very easy to kill. Somehow, mine died. Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t deliberately abandon it. It just sort of shrivelled away and died after several months. I think it didn’t like getting moved about too much, which is what happened when I had to move to a new place. But I think I either over-watered it or forgot to water it. I forget which.

On my birthday, someone gave me a tiny little rose bush in a wee pot. It have five pretty rose blossoms (okay, four and a bud) on it and was the prettiest thing ever. I know I was happy to get it, but at the same time, I was somewhat dismayed because I was so worried it would just die on me, like most of my other plants. Especially the ones I tried to take care of.

My birthday roses from Angela J.

Naturally, I couldn’t just abandon this pretty little plant that had been entrusted to my care. And so I began taking care of it. At first, I just kept on watering it. The leaves turned a bit yellow-green, instead of the nice rich green they were. I remembered something about over-watering and leaves turning yellow. I also realized it might be a good thing to take the wrapping paper (which was really plastic) away. Of course, the paper was full of water. With paper gone, the little plant improved a bit. I figured about an ounce or two of water a day would do. About three or four days after, the water just drained straight into the saucer I had put the pot on. Too much water. I cut watering down to every other day.

Then the bugs came. Tiny little creatures that deposited a white fuzz and little green and black spots on the backs of the leaves. A quick trip to my Practical Problem Solver book told me they were likely little mealy bugs or some other sort that like rose plants. I also learned I could get rid of them by wiping rubbing alcohol on the leaves with a piece of cotton. That pretty much got rid of most of the bugs. But there were some I either couldn’t find or were really good at evading me, because after a couple of days, there were white web-like threads on the edges of the leaves and more green-black spots on some of the leaves. The leaves were also getting horribly blotchy and dried too.

This time, I tried another remedy: the soapy water trick. I filled an old squirt bottle with soapy water and sprayed the leaves of my plant, as well as the branches and the soil. That finally got rid of all the bugs, but I was left with a plant that looked more dead than alive. My only hope was a few sturdy green leaves. The rest looked like they were doomed, and so they were. I figured that it would be such a shame to let this pretty gift plant die, and so began battle to save my rosebush.

My little rosebush has the best window seat on the floor beside my balcony windows, where it can get sunlight from when the sun rises to when it sets, almost. When there is sunlight, that is. So I open my blinds every morning to let whatever sunlight there is come in for my little rose bush. It got a full trim, all the dried leaves taken off when they were completely dried. A weekly soapy bath for a couple of weeks, then a regular soapy spray of the soil, which is covered with the dried leaves and prunings for mulch, have kept the pesky bugs away.

It wasn’t long before tiny new leaves started sprouting everywhere. The old leaves went a few at a time. Finally a bud showed, and when it was near opening, another bud showed! The first rose didn’t have several layers of petals like the original flowers that came with the rosebush, but it was a rose! And now, as its petals are curling backwards and getting ready to drop, the new bud is starting to open. Moreso, it does look like it has the same lush layers the original flowers had.

I’d been wanting to start an herb and flower balcony garden but didn’t trust myself around plants enough….now, I’m actually excited about the possibility of maintaining a blooming balcony garden!

old rose, new rose