Some days, no matter the outside temperature, I have to open the window – if only for a crack. Just feeling fresh air, even chilly, perks me up, especially on gray days. An open window makes me daydream about spring chores.  Although the chill reminds me it’s still not time to work outside.

With no outside gardening chores, I’ve concentrated on keeping the Christmas cactus and poinsettia alive. So far so good. We are going into the second year for the cactus.

Also, I enjoyed one amaryllis while waiting for another to blossom. Over one night, the second one burst forth – from tightly bound bud to blushing beautiful blooms! I wonder if I can preserve these bulbs for another blooming season?

Finally, I am hopeful a geranium will flourish from last season’s leaf that rooted. It is so delicate – fragile; I’ll keep you posted. 

This winter has been remarkable . . . for the limitations it has imposed upon us; a kind of test to show us how grateful we are for simple pleasures, and for each other: dull and puny companions that we’ve been.

 

We cannot solve our problems purely as individuals because our problems do not belong to us simply as individuals. ~ Maurice Reckitt (A Book of Days for Christians, by Richardson Wright, page 54)

Grateful for a good companion in hard times, windows that open, and the strength to hoist them up, I pass along advice for the punsters in the family:

ADVICE FOR THE FLU SEASON

Medical science has determined that attitude influences susceptibility to disease, especially infection by viral or bacterial agents.

People who, by their nature, are cheerful and upbeat are less prone to illness than are those who are consistently grumpy malcontents.

Thus, the surly bird gets the germ. (ChristiansQuoting.com)