Reflections...

1st Reflection...

Last summer I purchased a bushel of apples from Evans Orchard. I also had some other apples in a large quantity from somewhere. I diligently froze them for pies and muffins, made applesauce (for the 1st time) and dried some for grandmonsters to consume (which they did over Christmas). As I worked with all those apples, I had some seed that came out just perfect and I had another flash. Not the hot flash kind but a flash of intellect. I wondered if I could get these seeds to grow into apple trees. So I saved them in 2 custard dishes, one with red apple seeds and one with green apple seeds. I let them dry out and just sit on the counter for a long time. Then Thanksgiving rolled around and I figured this would be a great Hayden and Ma activity. So I pulled out old containers we save and potting soil and called Hayden to his step stool by the island. We had a great fun playing in the dirt and planting the seeds. I put the pots on paper plates and they sat on the dining room table for a while. Then I moved them to the pantry for the High Priest Christmas Social. Then when I realized I was really having a house full of company for Christmas, I moved them to the storage shelves in the cold garage and promptly forgot them. In January I noticed them as I was taking something to the garbage cans. I brought them in and set them on the floor in the pantry and watered them thinking whatever happened was what it was to be. Then we had the ice storm. I had just watered them and figured those little seeds were doomed. After the ice storm I found a plastic lid to cover a 9x13 pan and put the pots in it and set them on a chair at the breakfast table, watered them again and hoped a few rays of sun might do them good. Imagine my surprise to go to my kitchen one morning and find a little plant starting to grow. Then a few days later I noticed another one and then a 3rd start. That gives me a fighting chance at having a red apple tree. But I had nothing in either of the green apple seed pots. Day before yesterday I noticed a start in the green apple seeds. We may actually get an apple tree if one of these survives. Thank you Hayden for helping Ma plant these seeds. It will be great fun if they do grow and one day we have apples on our hill in Sadieville.

2nd Reflection...

I love turtles. Turtle has always been my favorite word. It just kind of rolls around in your mouth. Somewhere along the line my family found out that I loved the word turtle and my turtle collection began to grow. I have many kinds of turtles from stuffed to play with to Lenox crystal salt and pepper shakers. Papa gave me a turtle for Christmas one year that walks across the room singing "You have to slow down, you move to fast, gotta make the moment last!" I know he gave it to me for the turtle but the song is also something I need to hear. The grandmonsters love to flip that button on and play with the singing turtle. I have turtle ornaments on my Christmas tree from many places we have traveled. I bought one etched in wood when we were in Gatlinburg. I have a Lenox bowl with turtles on it. And while traveling through ice coming home from Utah on Christmas, we stayed in Kansas City and ate at a Cracker Barrel. They had 3 turtles that were "Hear No Evil", "See No Evil" and "Speak No Evil". They were a must purchase for the collection. My mum-in-law had a turtle that sat in her home for as long as Claude and I have been married and longer. You could lift his shell and use him as a candy dish. But she just had him sitting on the floor and eventually by the fireplace when that was added. When Bonnie learned of my love of turtles, she gave me this lovely turtle. I brought him home and had him stand guard by the plant stand in the corner of the dining room. Now, when Miss Bailey was old enough to begin toddling around she found the turtle and picked him up. But he was too heavy (sounds like Goldilocks doesn't it). She dropped him and his body broke in half. Then she toddled over to the 3 turtles Hear No Evil, See No Evil and Speak No Evil and picked up Hear No Evil and he was too heavy (Brownilocks is at it again). She dropped him and his foot broke off. Gramma finally learned her lesson and hid all breakable turtles close to the ground. This week I took them to the workbench of Claude in the basement and left them. Magically they were glued back together. This morning I walked through the dining room to go to the basement when I paused for a good laugh. There, standing on it's head on Claude John Deere paperclip in the middle of the dining room table was the body of the turtle that Bonnie gave me. He was all glued and posed there to dry. He looked so silly. Then it registered that the "hear no evil" turtle was also glued and watching the body of his friend standing on his head. It was just a great comic scene. Hear No Evil really looked like he was in total surprise that his friend had lost his shell and was standing on his head, a most usual pose for a turtle. When I went back up to get my daily dose of Nectar of the Gods, the scene was changed. I am so grateful I got the pictures before that happened. Enjoy!