Autumn's Promise of Spring

Good Wednesday morning!

The Gallery Pics are from dinner last night. Last week, one of the girls on Facebook put the word "cauliflower" beside her picture. People then began to comment about "cauliflower." I was intrigued. What could be said about cauliflower that hasn't been said a million times before? Obviously, quite a bit.

One particular comment caught my eye. They talked about mixing it with mashed potatoes and then no one knew they were eating cauliflower. Hmmm. I liked that. I liked that a lot. So the pictures you see before you today are of my mashed caulitators or mashed potaflowers or whatever you want to call them.

They were very good. When I make mashed potatoes, I use mayo, salt, pepper, butter and milk (buttermilk if I have it on hand). No one knew. I felt sneaky and healthy at the same time.

I wonder what would happen if someone put the word "parsnip" on Facebook?

Randomness #1 - The Pioneer Woman uses Twitter on the sidebar of her blog all day. Her tweets are pretty funny, but I loved one I saw yesterday... "I would marry fall if I could." Me, too. Me, too.

Randomness #2 - Since it was discovered I have diabetes, I no longer can enjoy the majority of drinks at Starbucks. In fact, I asked them for their big book of numbers (calories and carbs) they keep behind the counter. They let me look and look and look to see what, if anything, I would be allowed to have at Starbucks. It was a sad, sad day.

A few years ago, I fell in love with their Hot Caramel Apple Cider. I would order it the very first cool day in October and continue drinking Hot Caramel Apple Cider through November. I would stop in December because everyone knows Hot Caramel Apple Cider is an autumn drink only. I would also have the matching Pumpkin Caramel Muffin. It was one of life's greatest simple pleasures.

This week I read about Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte. Should I get my hopes up? Should I ask to see the big book of drinks The Enchanting Belinda can no longer partake of again? Nope. I decided to throw caution to the wind. I ordered a Tall Pumpkin Spice Latte (Code for SMALL). It was lovely. I will not be getting another one because it would not be healthy... but I will always remember my one and only Tall Pumpkin Spice Latte fondly.

I highly recommend this coffee drink. However, if you get one, please do not tell me. It would be more than I could bear.

Here are three more hints regarding our Special Guest next week.

11. She is the youngest of three.

12. She married the youngest of three.

13. She has lived in three states.

She gave me these hints. Are you getting any ideas?

Just a Little Story (to go along with the yesterday's post) - I spoke about learning yesterday. I have had a little trouble learning life lessons in the past, and I'm pretty sure I'll have some trouble in the future. I'm more than a little stubborn, and I must have the lesson taught again and again and again before it really sinks in.

Imagine my sadness when I realized my precious daughter also had this problem.

Roxie was playing basketball for the Civic Center last year, and a fight broke out between the other team's coach, refs, parents, etc. The police were even called to settle everyone down (which is such a shame for a little girls' basketball game). While the girls stood in the middle of the court and the screaming match moved to the end of the gym, I glanced away from the adults (and I use that term loosely) and looked at Roxie. Oh, no.

Hands on hips, legs slightly apart, pony tail swishing, she and another girl from the other team were having a little disagreement of their own. The other girl had one hand on her hip and the other hand waving in the air. (Her pony tail, too, was swishing.)

I felt Mikie stiffen a little beside me as his attention was now drawn to his daughter in the middle of the basketball court. I glanced to the left on the front row at her two brothers, watched their backs straighten and as if they were one, they turned their heads in my direction. I shook my head "NO." That's all this volatile situation needed. Two young men (6'4" and 6'0" at that time, respectively) settling a 12 year-old girl dispute. No. That would be very bad. Very bad, indeed. In my mind's eye, I could see a taser being used.

The words were getting more heated. Although we couldn't hear what was transpiring, the pony tails looked as if they had a life of their own.

"Should one of us go out there and stop it before it gets out of hand," I asked Mikie, never taking my eyes off the girls.

"I think she can take her," was his reply. I will never understand men. NEVER.

"Of course she can take her," I said through clenched teeth. "That's not the issue. The issue is should we let our 12 year-old DAUGHTER have a FIGHT with another 12 year-old girl. It isn't very Christ-like!"

"I'm pretty sure the other girl started it," he added.

"Again, not the issue, Mikie."

I've said it before, but for Newbies I'll mention it once again. Roxie is considered little by basketball standards. She's a good point guard, but she is smaller than most of the other girls her age. The particular girl she was "having words" with was only a little taller.

I had decided I was going to intervene when a girl on Roxie's team handled the situation for me... beautifully. Kelci, who was taller than both girls, took one step between them and held her hand up to the other girl and shook her head no. She wasn't smiling. She didn't get into a word fight. She just took care of IT. The other little girl visibly backed down. I took a breath and relaxed in my stadium seat. But wait... It wasn't over yet!

Roxie's red head popped around Kelci and with pony tail swishing and hands on hips again, she finished what she had started. This, of course, got the other little girl excited. Unfazed, Kelci stayed in the middle of the dispute separating the girls until the adult fight ended and the game resumed.

Why didn't Roxie let the fight end? Why did she continue when "an angel" stepped in and took care of the situation? Because she's like her mother, that's why. She didn't learn the lesson the first time.

And what does this have to do with yesterday's post about joy and contentment? I was just thinking about what Paul said, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." We all have to learn lessons, and not just when we're children. I'm still learning lessons today at 48 years of age.

I'm just thankful for a very patient teacher (God) and a book that has all the answers (the Bible).

NOTE - I can't tell you what the other little girl said and still maintain my G-rated blog, but according to witnesses on the court, she did start the fight... and thankfully, Roxie didn't say anything rated PG (according to the witnesses on the court).

Wednesday Wisdom - I wanted one more quote about autumn. This one is short, but so, so accurate. "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." Albert Camus. Isn't that lovely. I don't know who Albert is, but he is dead-on.

Autumn's Promise of Spring

Buy several dozen bulbs of various kinds like daffodil, tulip, hyacinth and crocus. Check with a local nursery, seed store or county agent as to the best bulb-planting time in your area.

Use shovels to dig up the area where bulbs are to be planted, turning over all the soil and breaking up clods of dirt; rake smooth.

Plant bulbs so that the pointed side is up, about twice as deep as the height of the bulb being planted. In very cold climates, plant the bulbs even deeper.

Check the package for predicted height of plant. Plant bulbs of tallest plants toward center of back of planting area, shorter plants toward outside or front. Leave 4" to 6" of space on all sides of each bulb.

Cover entire plot with a layer of mulch, leaves or peat moss.

Celebrate the completed job with mugs of hot chocolate, cider or herbal tea. Wait for a glorious spring!

This idea was taken from Let's Make a Memory by Gloria Gaither and Shirley Dodson. You could also read the book The Parable of the Lily by Liz Curtis Higgs at this time even though it is a Spring/Easter book. Or you can let the kids be totally surprised by what will happen in only a few months after a very cold winter.

It will be time well spent with the kids (playing in the dirt is always fun), and it's really two seasonal traditions in one because in the spring when the bulbs have bloomed, you can make a bouquet to take to a neighbor or relative together. My favorite thing... a "twofer."

I hope you have a lovely Wednesday. Tomorrow we'll be talking about a great date, AND I'll have some Blog Linkage for you to check out. CHALLENGE FOR THE DAY... Call someone and tell them you love them. Or better yet, take someone a pumpkin and tell them you love them. Nothing says lovin' like a big orange pumpkin.

By the way, someone guessed the Special Guest yesterday. It was either in the Comment Section, my e-mail or Facebook, but someone did get it right! I will not confirm until Monday though.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda