Christmas this year

Paperwhites in Denver, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

A few of my favorite things:
paperwhites, cactus blooms in December, fresh snow, giraffes, the Denver skyline Corona del Mar or any beach, my chickens-their eggs- and their hen house, of course my beautiful grandchildren, my kids and their spouses, my puppy dog, delicious food from my garden, a day in the kitchen, a good football game (USC or the Broncos), a morning with my sketchbook, camera or watercolors, cashmere sweaters, shells and starfish, handmade quilts

Wishing all my friends and family their very favorite things this Christmas including love, joy and embracing the true meaning of Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ

Christmas paperwhites, tutorial

paperwhites, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

I love bulbs and Christmas is the time for "paperwhite" narcissus and amaryllis. Every year I plant as many paperwhite bulbs as I can find and afford. They are about $1 each so I must pace myself but I love the whole process of starting with brown bulbs and ending with these gorgeous white blooms. These are from last year but let me walk you through the process. It is too late to plant for Christmas blooms but you can still find the bulbs in nurseries and they will bloom in 2-6 weeks. Good luck!

Christmas paperwhites

Paperwhites, 2009, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Today I cleaned the kitchen and put the baking equipment away for the season. It was a quiet & reflective day. I took the time to sketch my paperwhites. One I bought a couple of weeks ago and has been in bloom since. The other was a gift and is just showing the first signs of a bloom. I love the fragrance. It is more heady in the evening....right now. Paperwhites remind me of the simple things of the season. Tomorrow is the solstice. Winter is upon us.

Paperwhites, 2 weeks & pine cones

paperwhites, 2 weeks, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

At 2 weeks we have some changes: The roots have found their way out of the bulb and into the water, the stem shoots have started their journey UP and are turning a bit green. It has been warm during the day and cold at night. If they are too slow outside I will bring them in forcing them to bloom earlier but I am going to be patient for a while. Each morning on our walk, Sophie and I make little discoveries. Pine trees are one of the 3 trees that Aliso Viejo has used in the landscaping so this time of year our walk treasures are the cones. We are collecting quite a few. They make pretty additions to my minimalist Christmas decor.

paperwhites, planting

paperwhites, planting, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Six months ago I packed up all of my Christmas decorations and put them on the truck to Denver. The are residing in the basement of Whitney's home along with too much of my other stuff. We all thought I would definitely be there by this time. Wrong! It looks like I will still be living in sunny California through the end of the year so I am without Christmas embellishments! Merde! Solution: I have gathered a shallow red pot from the garage and filled it with paperwhite bulbs in anticipation for a show of white and fragrance in December. I will chronicle their progress:
First day of planting 20 paperwhite (narcissus) bulbs in a pot. I placed a layer of rocks on the bottom of the container and rested the bulbs on top. Then filled water to the level of the base of the bulbs to stimulate the roots to "wake up" It's showtime in 6 weeks (That's December 29...Oh I might be too late...let's see)