Thursday, January 11, 2018

Sunny Wednesday

Japanese Garden

Today was sunny.  The morning was cold (55F) but the afternoon warmed up nicely to about 70F.  I had woken up feeling a bit light headed and it sort of lasted throughout the day.  I almost decided not to go to the office, in the morning, but eventually, I decided I was well enough to do so. If I were to faint, then, I'd rather be at the office where there are people to call the paramedics if needed than be alone in the house!

In the afternoon, I went for a walk.  I managed to walk for 30 minutes again.  During my walk, I paused to take a few pictures.  The picture above is of the Japanese garden.

Nearby, is this grapefruit tree:

150 Year Old Grapefruit Tree
Back in the 1800s, there were orchards where downtown is now.  One of those orchards was a citrus orchard with grapefruit trees.  When downtown spread, the orchards retreated, but one or two of the citrus trees survived.  One of those is the grapefruit tree, above, which was relocated from its original spot, behind another building, to its present location, several years ago, as a reminder of the times when there were orchards where there are office buildings, now.  I guess it is an heirloom of sorts.  I am amazed that it still produces fruit!

Grapefruits on the Tree

There is another 150 year old grapefruit tree in downtown.  Maybe that will be for another walk, another day. 

Today, in the evening, my Aunt T called to tell me that she will be hosting this month's prayer gathering on Saturday.  My cousin P also called and we chatted for a little bit.  She offered me a ride to the prayer gathering with her and her daughter. 

Today, I am grateful for:
- A sunny day after the recent rains
- A pleasant walk in the afternoon
- Phone calls from family
- Video chatting with daughter
- Emails from friends

I decided to take it easy, today, too, due to how I had felt earlier in the day.  It really doesn't matter when I get the laundry done or finish cleaning the fridge.  It can wait another day or so.  Today's to do list is being carried forward to tomorrow.

How was your day?  Do you know of any other 150 year old fruit trees?



14 comments:

  1. It looked like a beautiful day for a walk. I've been out myself this morning but it's damp, misty and grey here today. The Japanese garden is lovely. At first I thought it was your back yard!
    I hope you're feeling better now. Are you aware of any reason for you feeling faint? X

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    1. Jules, I think it was a combination of sugar levels being too low and dehydration. I feel much better, today, thank you.

      Ha, ha, I wish my backyard looked like that! Maybe I can turn my front garden into one of those rocks and pebbles type of Japanese garden!

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  2. I really enjoyed your photos and history of the orchards downtown. Does the city puck the fruit?

    Your weather now sounds really nice and perfect for walking. Yesterday and early this morning the temperature is around 50 but dropping all day and will be below freezing by 5 pm with possibility of ice and bitter arctic blast will arrive once again.

    Hope you are feeling 100% today. Take care.

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    1. Thank you, Sandy. I wasn't quite sure if anyone would be interested in a 150 year old grapefruit tree, but these are the little quirky things I enjoy!

      This particular tree is on the grounds of a cultural center (not City owned, but by an organization) and, apparently, they do pick the fruits and, since 2016 they have had an annual grapefruit cocktail fundraiser! The 2017 flyer about the event states a donation of $5-10 is suggested, with $1 of every donation going to the cultural center to support their programs.

      Ooh, it sounds really cold where you are! Keep warm! Bundle up well if you do go out.

      I'm feeling much better, today, thank you. They are still adjusting my medication dosages, so maybe further adjustments are necessary. I go to see the PA on Tuesday of next week and I will take the log of blood sugar readings to show her. Plus, I really must keep up with the water intake!

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  3. That is the beauty of housework. It will always be there for you...today, tomorrow, next week. At least you can be "in control" of when it gets done. Ha.

    Beautiful photos. I especially enjoyed the one of the Japanese garden. It looks so tranquil. My walk probably would have ended there as I would want to stay and enjoy the space for my whole lunch break. Are there benches there where you can sit and eat your lunch?

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    1. Very true about the housework keeping until later. As long as the litter box is cleaned on a regular basis and there are no science experiments in the fridge or in the sink, things are not that urgent. Of course, the dust bunnies turn into jackalopes, but I am very good at turning a blind eye to them!

      The Japanese garden is lovely, isn't it? It is not City-owned but it is open to the public, free of charge; food and drink are forbidden in the garden, however, and it is not visible from the street level. There is a plaza, but the garden is not visible from the plaza! It is tucked away, hidden from view, unless you know where to look for it.

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  4. I'm glad you didn't faint and were able to go for a walk. Thanks for the pictures! I wonder if the city harvests the grapefruit or if they fall on people, lol. I would hope that they'd harvest them and give them to the needy. I have never heard of a 150 fruit tree still producing fruit, especially after having been transplanted! That is amazing. I hope you're feeling better today. I'm feeling a little faint myself but it's because I still haven't had lunch at about 1:30 p.m. (about to eat it now). I hope your nice temperatures continue and that it's not going to rain!

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    1. Thank you, Nathalie. Hope you ate your lunch and felt better!

      This particular tree is on the grounds of a cultural center and, apparently, they do pick the fruits! In 2016 and 2017, they had an annual grapefruit cocktail fundraiser! The cafe in the cultural center has created a special cocktail called "The 1884", which, according to the even flyer, is " a special cocktail featuring the essence of 150 years of grapefruit history"! The flyer had suggested a donation of $5-10 at the door, with $1 of it going to support the center's activities (don't know what the rest of it will go towards, maybe to cover other expenses). I wonder if there will be a 2018 annual grapefruit fundraiser, too (the 2017 event was held in April).

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  5. I don't know of any 150 year old fruit trees, but I do know of 5 trees planted 6 years ago that will either bloom this season of I am going to take them down and plant something else.
    Nice that you have your ride to the prayer gathering already planned.
    You are so correct about household chores and the non-necessity to do them in any particular time frame. Laundry will still be there, with just a little additional to add to the load.

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    1. LOL, Anne, tell those trees they had better flower this year or else! In Sri Lanka, they used to tie the outer husks of coconuts to the trunks of citrus trees to "shame" them in to producing! I don't know if that works or not, but it was something they used to do!



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  6. I do hope that you have not been dizzy again today my friend. How lovely to have those beautiful gardens and the old fruit trees to enjoy. :) We have an old prune orchard a little way out of our town and some other old apple orchards too. A dear friend of mine who lives right there in that old and pretty much abandoned town has shown me where the good trees still are. :)

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    1. I am feeling much better, today, Debbie, thank you. Sometimes, I wonder if I am imagining things, but I did feel a bit peculiar, yesterday. I do take some medications that can cause dizziness as a side effect, but I've been taking them for awhile now and usually, I don't feel anything. Maybe yesterday was just an off day.

      Do you go pick the apples from those old orchards? I remember going apple picking when I was in Wisconsin and that was a fun experience.

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    2. I used to go down and plums from there but found a new source closer to home. ;) Our local apple orchard just over the hill from me is where I get my apples from. :)

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    3. Lucky you to have a local apple orchard! Washington apples are supposed to be among the best!

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