GERANIUMS, TURNIPS AND CANDLES

Late last fall David and James brought in a long low cupboard that just fits under the dining room windows that gives us another place to stow some of our accumulated stuff and junk. It also gave me a place to put my big planters to get them through the winter instead of taking them down to the basement with a grow light. One of them surprised me by blooming! I had a red geranium in bloom for Thanksgiving. My philodendrom(?) is in a 5 gal. pickle bucket in my big crock with a tomato cage to climb and wasn't looking too hot at first but is doing just dandy now. We hoisted it up also in front of the middle window so that the crock is in front of the air conditioner and the leaves get the morning sun through the glass above. At least I can get at it ot keep it watered this winter.

Turnips? Somebody had a real good crop and left a big boxful at a local farm store for people to help themselves, so I brought home a bagful to put in the freezer for soups this winter. As I was preparing them I was reminded of planting the tops of carrots for a green winter plant as a kid and decided to try turnip tops. For a couple months I had a nice lush green planter, only thing is that they take a lot more water than the others did and my green thumb turned brown! But they sure were pretty while they lasted!

I have always admired those electric candles in the windows at Christmas but never had a house with the windows to put them in until now. Last fall Doris, our eldery neighbor to the east, was going through things with the help of her family (downsizing). One thing they decided to get rid of was a big boxfull of them and asked it we would like to have them. Of course I said yes! We were able to find replacment bulbs at Menards and Walmart. There were enough that I had candles in every downstairs room. With the colored icicle lights around the front porch and the candles in the windows our house looked quite feative for Christmas and I loved it! Most years we do good to get the tree up. It was up this year in the front living room window and had all of three decorations on it when we got busy on a Christmas gift project for our nine grandchildren and never got the rest of the decorations out and up. Oh well, maybe next year we can get all of the decorations unpacked and on display.

Hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving and Christmas and that your new year is filled with joy, love and laughter!