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| Jasmine Flowers |
The jasmine vine is flowering! I have written about this plant before, but, it is an offshoot of a plant my mother planted in the front garden, which had to be relocated to the back yard when I had to replace the main water pipe bringing water to the house from the mains. My mother wasn't happy about having to move the plant to the back, but, it did well there until it died during one of the multi-year droughts we've had (fortunately, it happened after my mother had died). I was sad that the plant died, but, with the on-going drought, I didn't want to replace it. However, a couple of years later, after a very wet winter like the one we've just had, I found a small jasmine vine growing near where the old plant had been growing in the back yard and M potted it up for me and we eventually planted it in the front and trained it to grow up one of the trellises. Since then, every time it flowers, it makes me feel happy!
Yesterday (Saturday) was the first of April. We have completed the first quarter of this year and have started on the second quarter! Can you believe it? As usual, I prepared milkrice for the first meal of the month (along with mackerel curry; I didn't make any seeni sambol because there was some purchased seeni sambol in a jar that needed to be finished). I also picked three bunches of jasmine flowers to place at the altars and on the mantlepiece. The house is pleasantly scented by their fragrance. Later in the night, I tidied and cleaned the house.
Today (Sunday), my daughter's friend A (who made the cinnamon rolls, earlier) brought me some cornbread that she had made:
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| Cornbread from Daughter's Friend A |
She was returning the container in which I had given her chicken curry (when she brought the cinnamon rolls) and collecting the baking dish the cinnamon rolls came in. I served her a container of milkrice and a small bag of snow peas to take back with her. My daughter is very amused that I am now exchanging food with one of her friends. I had a piece of cornbread for my brunch.
In the afternoon, I changed the dust sheets on the family room sofas and did a load of laundry. The washing machine's light came on indicating that it needed cleaning, so I ran the cleaning cycle. I will do do another load of laundry tomorrow. I also did a little cleaning in the kitchen, scrubbing under the stove burners, etc.
This weekend, I'm grateful for:
- Sunny days
- The jasmine vine is flowering
- Receiving cornbread from daughter's friend A
- Working appliances
- Chatting with friends and family
Joyful activities have included watching videos, harvesting pea pods and lettuce from the garden, and video chatting with my daughter.
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| Lettuce from the Garden (the edges of the leaves are bronze colored) |
Plans for tomorrow include doing another load of laundry and tidying the family room.
How was your weekend? What are your plans for Monday?
How wonderful that the jasmine plant is flowering again in the front garden of your home. That is so kind of your daughter's friend to think of you and you are exchanging gifts of food with her, I can see why your daughter is amused. I've had a restful weekend and the sun is shining but not sure what I plan to do yet but the garden does need some attention, I'll see how I feel later.
ReplyDeleteI am really happy to see the jasmine vine flowering again, Eileen. My mother would have been happy, too, I think. :)
DeleteWasn't it sweet of my daughter's friend to think of me? When I was having my chemo treatments and had lost my appetite, she made me an apple pie because she thought I might be tempted to eat some (I did!) There are some wonderfully caring young people out there.
I'm glad you had a restful weekend, Eileen, and that there is sunshine. Hopefully, you and Tilly enjoyed a nice, dry walk! Time spent in the garden is always nice, but, don't overdo things like I did, last week! I weeded a bit and afterwards, I was so sore! I guess it just shows how out of shape I am!
Your mother would be happy that her Jasmine plant is continuing to die you pleasure and remind you of her. Your daughter's friend is kind to share the cornbread with you and it is neat that you have another friend on the "food-go-round".
ReplyDeleteWe woke up to another winter wonderland, with snow coming down well for a long time. The lids on the maple sap pails are covered with snow!
Thank you, Bushlady; yes, I think my mother would be happy. She always wanted flowers in the garden.
DeleteMy daughter's friend A is a good cook and an accomplished baker. She has made me pies in the past. She'll be a good friend to have on the "food-go-round"! :D
I hope that this snow fall will be the last one for this winter/spring! It's partly sunny, here, with a high of 55F according to the forecast (53F currently) and it's very windy. But, it's not raining! :D
I love that beautiful top photo and am moved by the story of the jasmine. Your Mum's plant lives on! I wouldn't have thought of picking the flowers but I can imagine they bring a lovely scent. Hope you and A had a lovely time together. What do you eat alongside your cornbread?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lady Ella. It was such a joy when I found that the jasmine plant had regrown! After we potted it up, one of the garden cats slept on it and broke the plant, but, it grew back, again, and we planted it in the front. That is one plant that is determined to survive! Jasmine flowers are often offered at the temple altars in Sri Lanka, especially since they are so fragrant. The offering of flowers is accompanied by the recitation of a stanza that is a meditation on impermanence and death: "I pay homage to the Buddha by offering various flowers; just as these flowers will fade and die, so will our bodies decay and fall into a state of destruction". Cheerful, isn't it? :D
DeleteA's visit was very brief, just a quick drop off and pick up; even so, we were both masked.
I just had the cornbread by itself. This was a slightly sweetened version of cornbread made with buttermilk and creamed corn added to it. It would have been good served with some of the leftover beef stew that's in the fridge, but, I tend to eat cornbread by itself or with a little butter spread on the top.
What a beautiful photo of the jasmine plant. I love to hear stories of where people get their plants especially if they involve family.
ReplyDeleteThank you, June. It's nice when plants in the garden have a story behind them, isn't it? :)
DeleteThe jasmine is so pretty! The cornbread looks so yummy! My mom makes really good cornbread. I have her recipe, but mine never seems to taste as good as hers! 😁
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mandy. That's funny about your Mom's cornbread tasting better than yours! I imagine that the thing that makes hers taste better is the fact that she made it. My daughter always says that my chicken curry tastes better than hers! :D
DeleteI love your story about the jasmine plant. It's a very pretty plant which I can't get to grow here ... it obviously doesn't like the conditions on offer and is just 'there', neither growing nor dying away but looking a bit puny! I can't remember the smell of jasmine but am sure it is very pleasant.
ReplyDeleteThe cornbread looks very nice. I've never tried to make it but have eaten shop bought cornbread which probably is nowhere near as tasty as the generous gift you received from your daughter's friend. I still enjoyed it though. xx
Thank you, Eileen. Is your jasmine plant in the sun? They will tolerate partial shade, but, tend to prefer the full sun and at least 6 hours of sun a day. My plant is in the front garden, when it receives the sun from about 10:00 a.m. until sunset. It probably gets a bit too much sun in the summer, but, it does well enough with enough water.
DeleteThe cornbread was very nice and I had the second piece today for brunch. She had used a different recipe to the one I make, but, that's the nice thing about cornbread - there are so many different versions of it.
That is a lovely story about the Jasmine plant, and it is such a lovely flower. X
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jules. It is a very pretty flower, isn't it? So fragrant, too.
DeleteI love the story of your Mother's Jasmine Vine. I'm sure it makes you very happy to see it blossom. I bet they were pretty on your mantlepiece.
ReplyDeleteThe cornbread from daughter's friend A was a nice thing for her to include in the returned dish.
Yes, the year is rolling by isn't it?
Thank you, Debra; the jasmine vine is rather special. :)
DeleteThat was very kind of A to bring me some cornbread, wasn't it? I guess she's known my daughter and me long enough (since they were in 7th grade) to know that we always return containers with something in them?
I'm sure the earth is spinning faster around its axis, these days! I don't know how each day goes by so quickly!