Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving!

 image courtesy American Greetings (I think? It's old, I'm old, I can't remember!)

Bring on the turkey-mashed potatoes-stuffing-gravy stupor!

gobble gobble!



xxx

House Plant Help?

I need a little help today. To be accurate, my plant needs help.

I only have one house plant. I don't have much of a green thumb, so I tend to steer clear of living plants. But this one I've had for a while now. It was doing so well over the summer too. Growing like a weed. Ha! Some people might consider it a weed. It's an ivy plant (no, I don't know which one specifically), so when left on it's own outside, I've noticed it certainly can take over (makes a great ground cover, though).

But my little plant has recently started getting some yellow leaves.

yellowing leaves at the bottom

The rest of the plant is still perfectly green, but The Yellow is slowly creeping up. It started with just the one big leaf to the left, and then it traveled. And I've also noticed the stripes on the ... uhh... stem? Stalk? Whatever that main trunk thing is called. That's also new.

So what's going on with my poor little ivy? This only started happening recently, like a week and a half ago. Am I watering too much? Not enough? Is it too cold on the windowsill (it sat there all last winter though too, and this didn't happen)?

Just before The Yellow first started, I did do a heavy watering. Maybe it was too cold then? Maybe it was too much for it, for winter time? I'm assuming there is a growing season and a dormant season for this kind of plant, even if it is indoors?

What did I do wrong? And how can I fix it? Do I need to replant it? Is it dying? Is it a lost cause? Should I take clippings and try to root them, and give up on the main plant?

If I do try to root some clippings, can I just stick them in water? Do I have to have special water?

Help me, Obi Wan Gardener. You're my only hope.


xxx

Day with many hats

Today is a special day in a lot of places. In America it’s Veterans Day. In the UK it’s Remembrance Day. In Belgium it’s Wapenstilstandsdag (celebrating the end of WWI). And in The Netherlands (mostly just in Limburg, I think?), it’s 11de van de 11de (11th day of the 11th month). The official start of the Carnival Season.

This year it’s the 11de van de 11de van de 11de (11th day of the 11th month of 2011)! So they’ll probably be even more crazy this year. Those Dutch really know how to get their drink on.

How do you celebrate this day?


xxx

'Tis the Season

Ok, folks. Halloween is over. That means we can finally officially begin

I am sure that stores have already begun without me, but I try to wait until November to start my holiday frenzy.

TRY, that is. Doesn’t always work, but I try.

It's also hard to get in the Christmas mood when the weather has been so nice here.

the trees are losing their leaves

We've had temps in the mid-60s (mid-teens Celsius), and tons of sun. Very nice weather for this time of year! And blue blue BLUE skies. Just gorgeous.

Anyways, now begins the preparations for Christmas. Time for list making! I’m a list kind of person. I make lists for everything. The Card List. The Gift (Giving) List. The Wish List (aka The Gift Receiving List). The Christmas Movies To Watch List. The Decorations List (what decorations I’ll put up this year, and where).  The Baking List (a very important list! The list of cookies that I’m going to make!).

All knds of lists. It keeps me organized, and let’s me know what still needs to be done. Because the holidays can get a little overwhelming, can’t they? Lists save my sanity the whole year round, but they are especially helpful at Christmas.

And frankly, my sanity can use all the help it can get!

What’s on your lists?


xxx