December in the Garden

Thanks to our humid subtropical climate here it seems like we may be able to garden year-round. This is the second season for our strawberry plants, who are loving the chillier weather.

The potted herbs are also thriving. I've now harvested and dried enough chives, oregano and Italian parsley to last me well into the new year, so I'm going to make up some containers for my neighbors.

Our broccoli plant grew so tall we had to tie it to a dowel for support.

The brussel sprouts are smaller, but doing well, too. The just-sprouted radishes are probably our tenth planting; they grow very fast and we can harvest them every couple of weeks.

There are a few pole beans left on the vines, but their season is definitely over now. We will plant them again in the spring.

The bell peppers have just sprouted, too. I'm very hopeful they will stay healthy as I cook with peppers all the time.

Three more brussel sprout plant in another pot. If we get a bumper crop I may blanch and freeze most of them in single-serving bags, as I'm the only one who likes them.

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Stuff

After finding this Caron one pound skein of lovely peach yarn in my thrifted lot I raided my stash for two cakes of Mandala in Pegasus, which matches it perfectly. For practice and hand therapy I'm going to make another Worth Street Afghan with this free pattern , but this time I'll use the yarn that was recommended for it plus the one pound skein. I'm not quite ready to do the vintage/recycled linen quilt I had planned (still a bit too nervous about the idea), so I'm going to use some color therapy and make a quilt from these thrifted green fat quarters. I considered doing another Yellow Brick road patchwork pattern, but I might go with a split rail fence like this one.

Journal Find

This is a page from my 2010 poetry journal. My handwriting isn't the best, so I'll transcribe it: If my heart survives to tell all the secrets kept inside it will be an abalone shell in which the beauty did reside. But I think I will always be lost to the tides that rage in me . . . humbling and polishing . . . I don't write many self-portrait poems, but this one isn't too embarrassing. A bit overly dramatic, but the girl I was eleven years ago went through some tough times. I'm in a much more peaceful place today.

The Numbers

Back in March my diabetes doctor changed my medication and encouraged me to alter my diet and exercise more in order to bring down my A1C, which at the time tested out at a dismal 8.3 (normal is 5.8.) So for the next two months I dealt with the increased meds, stuck to my decidedly grim diet and added a lot more walking to my exercise regime. P.S., it's never fun to be a diabetic, but over the last couple of months I've really tried to keep a good attitude about it. Attitude isn't everything, but it helps a lot when you have to make significant changes while battling a disease like this. Yesterday I performed a home A1C test, and I'm currently at 6.5. That's pretty amazing results, even for me. If I can get it down another half point before I see the doctor in July I'd be over the moon, but I feel like I've already done great. Image credit: Image by Daniele Liberatori from Pixabay

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