Barbara's Creative Projects
Not all the geraniums that I potted are growing, however, those that survived are coming along nicely!
I’d set them out on my balcony yesterday when the temperature went to 20+ degrees, but as there is possible freezing for the next couple of nights, they are back inside again.
I do love geraniums, their bright colours, the ease of care.
Last fall I pulled all of my geraniums and the geraniums at First Mennonite out of the soil, shook the dirt off the roots put the whole plant into paper yard waste bags. I then put them into cool, dark storage for the winter.
I think they would have been happier if I had taken them out sooner, but once again I left the task to the end of March. I always have a few plants that don’t survive, and this year I learn an important lesson — don’t try to put too many into one bag! I did that with the church’s geraniums, and most of them died and got moldy.
I sort through the dried leaves and stems to find the ones with some green or evidence of life. I take off much of the dead stuff (though sometimes what looks dead isn’t actually, so I wait and see with some of it). Then I line the pot with brown paper towel to prevent the soil from coming out of the drainage holes and fill the pot with soil.
My spare bedroom is a nice bright locations so it becomes my greenhouse.
I have seven of my own geraniums this year, including a trailing plant — first time I’ve had one survive the winter, and twelve from the church.
In July of 2010 a puppy, about four months old, was left at the KW Humane Society accompanied by a paper suggesting she was part pug, part Staffordshire terrier. Now Staffordshire terriers are a banned breed in Ontario, therefore not adoptable. The staff at KWHS decided to foster this little female for awhile to see if that breed was going to show. So Christine, my daughter-in-law (now in charge of adoptions at KWHS) took Billie home.
My beloved Shazdeh had developed cancer and I had had her put down in early February that year. I had decided that as long as I lived in a third floor apartment I would not get another dog. However, Simon and Christine were quite certain that Billie, as the puppy was now named, would be a wonderful pet for me. One weekend in September, when Billie was given the OK to be adopted my kids asked if I’d puppy-sit — an opportunity to “try out” the pet before I committed. Ha! Like I was going to say “no” after that.
Billie is a sweet girl, a dear companion. But I’m frequently asked what breed she is. Not knowing for sure I reply, “part pug, part terrier”. Several weeks ago Christine brought me a Wisdom Panel® Shelter Dog DNA testing kit. Here is a chance to find out Billie’s ancestry. I subsequently swabbed Billie’s cheeks and sent away the sample. This morning I got the results. Here they are — and no Staffordshire Terrier in the mix!
