Friday Flowers: Hibiscus

Each spring, I treat myself to a small hibiscus plant for my deck similar to the one above that was in my brother's garden in Mexico. These showy flowers are a delight, each vivid bloom lasting only a day, but with the assurance of a new blossom or two to replace it. I have tried bringing them indoors in the fall, but they do not do well in our dry, heated air.

There are over 200 species of hibiscus, or rosemallow. They have five petals and a prominent, trumpet-shaped stamen. I took the picture above in the garden at the home of one of my patients. The bloom of this hybrid perennial giant hibiscus was at least a foot in diameter.
I have this hardy Rose of Sharon shrub in my backyard which is also a type of hibiscus. It flowers in the late summer and fall until the frosts come. The flowers are only two to three inches in diameter.

Jamaica (pronounced ham-I-ca) is a popular drink in Mexico. My mother buys bags of the dried calyces of roselle flowers (Hibiscus sabdariffa) and makes the refreshing drink like this.

Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus Flower Drink) recipe

2/3 cup dried hibiscus blossoms
1 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup granulated sugar or simple syrup

In a saucepan, bring the blossoms and water to a boil over high heat and continue boiling for 3 minutes. Add enough water to bring the total liquid to 4 cups; add sugar.
Set the mixture aside for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Strain the liquid into a glass pitcher.
Add more sugar, if necessary.

Serve chilled over ice with lime wedges as a garnish.

Roselle flowers are used in the middle east and north Africa to make a tea called Karkade (KAR-kah-day). This tart, fruity tea can be served hot or cold and with or without sugar. Similar beverages are also found in other African and Asian countries.

I am not a fan of sweet drinks and prefer a robust cuppa black tea to herbal infusions. But I can admire the beauty of a fresh hibiscus blossom, whether it is a showy tropical import in a pot or a native perennial species such as swamp rose mallow in a garden or marsh.

End of Winter?

This is the view from my front door showing the accumulation of snow over the past seven weeks. The weather forecast is calling for above freezing temperatures for the next five days! Perhaps the snow will be gone by equinox. We can only hope that spring has finally decided to make an appearance. I have changed my side bar photo to tulips and hope this is the last image of snow on this page for a while.

Living to 100

Ginger has a link in a recent post to a site that estimates a person's life expectancy based on a 10 minute questionnaire. Basically, if you have good genes, don't smoke or drink excessively, have no chronic lifestyle illnesses, are of normal weight and exercise regularly, eat little meat or processed foods, you can expect to live to the age of 100.

I want to LIVE to 100, not EXIST to 100!

Working with the sick and elderly can be very inspiring. We had a family meeting to discuss the discharge plans of the sweetest lady you could ever meet. She is 98 years old and lived very independently in her apartment until she fell in the night and broke her hip a few weeks ago. After her surgery, she developed a blood clot that moved to her lungs. She was very ill, receiving large amount of supplemental oxygen. She has defied the odds of age, bounced back from her surgery and complications, and is now using a walker with someone close by.


She wants to go home.
But we are advising a retirement home.
Tears...but no arguments.
A plan...

Her birthday is in September. She will go to a retirement home for further convalescence, and then her goal is to be back in her apartment when she turns 99.
We have to applaud her spunk and determination. Who are we to tell her she cannot do it?
I was invited to the 100th birthday party of a patient who returned home to independent living after a hip fracture. I know it can be done.

When I am 100, let it be me!

The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree...
They shall still bear fruit in old age;
They will be fresh and flourishing...
Psalm 92:12-14

Happy Birthday Oma Lois!

Solarium

We are enduring a severe late winter here with record low temperatures overnight and more snow in the forecast. The spring sun is shining on the icy landscape making the day look deceptively warmer than it is. The north winds have control of this day.

At the hospital, the solarium provides a refuge of green and warmth on a day such as this. The window shelves are full of growing vines, ferns and cuttings. Penny is the sole recreational therapist and she brings patients down here to work on potting, planting and pruning. She is always on the lookout for raw materials. Potted plants given as gifts to the sick are not pitched on the trash when their blooms are done but are lovingly cared for in this area. A couple of times a year, staff and visitors have a chance to buy some healthy house plants.

In the past, (before children) I used to spend a lot of time caring for a large number of house plants. My pots now contain only the heartiest varieties which can withstand dry conditions and moderate neglect. Today I noticed blooms forming on my Christmas Cactus. It generally blooms for Easter in my home and looks as if it will not disappoint me this year.


The birds are eating from my feeders at a steady pace in order to keep warm, huddling on the deck out of the wind. The snow is sure to melt and my garden will once again come alive with growth and bloom. Today I can visit the sunny solarium and watch the plants indoors respond the the sun and lengthening days as they grow and bloom on the warm side of the window.

Windy Natural Resources

Wind is a daily feature in our area on most days of the year. Today, strong northerly winds are causing havoc on the roads as blowing snow reduces visibility. Yesterday we spent several hours in downtown Toronto. A brisk wind blew off Lake Ontario and was funneled between the skyscrapers, making for a very cold walk.
On the Toronto lakefront, on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition, a single wind turbine stands, and at a height of 30 stories, is visible from all approaches to the city core. In comparison, the CN tower shown above stands at 182 storeys.
Here is a quote from the website of the Toronto Hydro Corporation. It is really interesting to follow this link and read the entire page.

This wind turbine was inspired by a group of Toronto residents who had a dream of cleaner energy and cleaner air. Their vision came alive through a joint venture partnership of Toronto Hydro Energy Services and the WindShare Co-operative, who jointly constructed the wind turbine on December 18, 2002. The turbine is a good example of how communities can work together to meet their electricity needs and address global issues of air pollution and climate change.
This is the first wind turbine erected in the City of Toronto and the first in a downtown urban setting in North America. It stands thirty stories tall and has the capacity to power up to 250 homes. Electricity from the wind yields no emissions, no waste, and is 100% green.The 750 kW turbine has displaced 815 tonnes of CO2 emissions since it was commissioned and generated 2,864,768 kWhrs.

There were many hurdles to overcome as this project was in the planning stages. Resistance was present from many detractors who felt it was an eyesore, was dangerous to shore birds, was too noisy, “not in my backyard”, etcetera, etcetera...

We do have knowledge and the technology to move ahead with many initiatives that would reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. On a windy day like this, I wonder why there are not more wind turbines on the horizon?

Happy Birthday to The Becka

My "baby" is 21 years old today! She says she feels old, but what about me?!
What can I say about her ?

If she had been my first child, I may not have had any more! She challenged my parenting skills and gave me a lot more compassion for others with difficult to handle children!

She went through the terrible two's and every form of teenage rebellion by the age of five and got all the kinks out of her system early. She is a sweet, loving and sensitive daughter and is very special indeed!

As a youngster, she noticed every detail. (she still does!) She was fascinated by little insects.
To this day she recalls events and time with an accuracy that amazes me. She has an artistic gift and translates her feelings and observations into her work.

Happy Birthday Becka. You are a special gift indeed!

*original art by The Becka, used with permission

Friday Flowers: Cenhinen Bedr

On March 1st, during a very stormy and snowy commute to work, I listened to a wonderful concert on CBC Radio in commemoration of Saint David's Day. There was a thrilling rendition of CWM Rhonnda* sung by Welsh baritone Bryn Terfel and a Welsh choir in his recording We'll Keep a Welcome.

St. David is the patron saint of Wales who died on March 1, 589. Since the 18th century, this day has been a national day of celebration in that country. Many Welsh people wear a daffodil or a leek on their lapel and leek broth,or cawl, is a traditionally eaten dish. (St. David was a vegetarian) These plants share similar names in Welsh, Cenhinen (leek) and Cenhinen Bedr (daffodil, literally "Peter's leek").

My husband bought me a big pot of spring bulbs for Valentine's Day, knowing that wilting cut flowers make me feel sad. The flowers are now finished, but I will plant the bulbs in the garden and enjoy them year after year. I took this picture of the daffodils above and have it as my computer desktop background as a promise of spring.


On May 6, 2006, I visited Niagara on the Lake, Ontario and took this photo of a daffodil garden planted for the Canadian Cancer Society's Daffodil Month, their annual fund raising campaign. I mention the date so specifically knowing I have about six weeks to wait before I see cheerful yellow daffodil blooms in my garden.

According to tradition, the words of St. David's last sermon, given just before he died at the age of 100 years are as follows.

'Be joyful, and keep your faith and your creed. Do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about. I will walk the path that our fathers have trod before us.'

"Gwnewch y pethau bychain" meaning, "Do the little things" is a common Welsh phrase. It is often the simple little things in life, like a bright flower, that bring the greatest meaning and joy into our lives.

Have a daffodil day!

*Guide me O Thou Great Jehovah

March

WINTER

wind, warming

emptiness, expectation, equinox

melting snow, mud, maple syrup

robins, rain, rebirth

shamrocks, sunlight,

SPRING