National House Plant Appreciation Day (Tuesday's Truths WK 161)

The official observance for  National Houseplant Appreciation Day has come and gone, but in my mind, house plants and indoor succulents can be celebrated at any time!

A reason the official holiday which is my (Tuesday's Truth for today) is celebrated annually on January tenth (according to National Today) is this:

"By mid-January, most of our various holiday decorations and Christmas trees have made their way out of our homes. National Houseplant Appreciation Day is on January 10 every year, and it reminds us that we don’t have to lose the freshness and vibrancy that plants bring to our homes just because the holidays have drawn to a close. If you have the post-holiday blues, this is the perfect chance for you to brighten up your house with a lovely plant that you can enjoy all year long."

My indoor garden is comprised of plants are a collection of succulents which thrive under grow lights but I have to take them outside or place them in a basin on a regular basis in order to give them water.

At this moment in time I will need to think of a work around for giving my succulents the water they need as I broke my greater tuberosity when I had an accident on January 18th.

I am sure I will come up with a way to water them as it's well worth the effort to do this for my array of succulents; for as National Today reminds their readers, "Houseplants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen for us to breathe, improving the air quality in your home.'

The succulents I have not only thrive under my grow light system and being watered, they seem to do well being in the company of various figurines whom I place there to enhance a given holiday season.

At the moment, because Valentine's Day is rapidly approaching, figurines in my succulent garden reflect the spirit and sweetness of the upcoming holiday. This is evidenced in the photograph which is atop my entry and was taken by my dear friend, CF.

Monday's Memo: 1/27/2020 is BWAD!

In 2012, on January 30th, everyone who was anyone was talking about Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, (or BWAD) and everyone is STILL talking about how they celebrated it! This year, 2020, BWAD is being celebrated today, January 27th, as it is the last Monday of the month.

In any event, no one appreciates bubble wrap more than the things that grow in my rooftop garden in New York City maintained by yours truly, with the help of my gardening comrade, JV.



You see, for a number of winters now I have used this currently being celebrated "poppin' wrap" to protect the eighty plus flora that I grow from winter's normally cold temperatures.

More details re the use of bubble wrap in garden winterizing can be found in volume two of my three volume book series, Words In Our Beak.

The books are great for anytime of year, but I must admit, they make a nice Valentine's  Day gift, and that holiday will be here in eighteen days!

MY BIRD BOOKS

Just a quick reminder, Valentine's Day is less than one month away, so if you would like to get these items for your true love, please act quickly to avoid delays caused by shipping.

Spouses Day 2020

Cardinal Love 2

Spouse's Day is celebrated on January 26, 2020 (today). It is a day to enjoy and appreciate your better half.

Northern cardinals (known as Mac and Cam) seem to show how much they care for their spouse by feeding each other. This can as seen in the image directly above which has been rendered on to a greeting card and is available via my shop that's located on Fine Art America's site.

Moreover, the Valentine's Day holiday will be here in nineteen days and that's another opportunity to show a spouse how much you are for them. One way you can extend your appreciation is by giving your special love this image rendered on to a greeting card or printed on an array of surfaces for wall art;  including acrylic...

Cardinal Love 2

...canvas...

Cardinal Love 2

...metal...

Cardinal Love 2

...special art paper...

Cardinal Love 2

...as well as wood...

Cardinal Love 2

... for varying sizes of wall art.

Moreover, Fine Art America (FAA) also offers framed images of my collection.

Cardinal Love 2

For more info, please visit my FAA shop.

Additionally, an array of photographs of this bird type along with informative narratives are featured within my book series, Words In Our Beak, where all the stories are told from the perspective of Cam, the female cardinal featured on the righthand side in all of these images.

MY BIRD BOOKS

These books also make a great gift for Valentine's Day (or any day for that matter).

Just a quick reminder, Valentine's Day is less than one month away, so if you would like to get these items for your true love, please act quickly to avoid delays caused by shipping.

2020's Korean New Year Begins Today!

The photographs atop this entry feature a White-naped Crane (Antigone vipio) who I saw when I visited the zoo in Central Park on November 30, 2019.

I have discussed various avian creatures whom I met on that day in prior entries here on Blogger; such as one about a Blue 'n Yellow Macaw, published on 1-7-2020, as well as one featuring a Superb Starling — 12-30-2019 and another featuring a Taveta Golden Weaver —12-28-2019.

Other entries re birds I encountered on my 11-30-2019 visit to the zoo include my 12-27-2019 posting about the Red-crested cardinal and my 12-14-2019 post which discussed Black Swans, Green Parrots, Pied Avocets, Scarlet Ibises and a Victorian Crowned Pigeon.

Within my aforementioned entries about Central Park's zoo, I state,"I must confess I do not like to see birds or any animals within the confines of a zoo." 

I also mention that I subsequently "received some wisdom (from a Jane Goodall interview) about my feelings re animals and zoos, which I will discuss in my Saturday's Sequel post (12-14-2019)...,"

I held off on discussing White-napped cranes until today because this bird type has great significance to Korean people during this time. The reason being that  (1-25-2020 is the most important of the traditional Korean holidays as it is what Koreans consider to be the start of a new year.

The Korean New Year holidays "last three days. It is customary and may be required under collective bargaining agreements for South Korean businesses to close for the lunar new year."

The white-naped crane is a popular symbol of the Korean New Year celebration and commonly featured in art and folklore.

Cranes are the tallest of all flying birds and are found on every continent, except Antarctica and South America.

Beloved Albert Elmer Herman Louis Melahn (AKA G'pa to me) Died on 1-24 in the 1970's

My maternal grandfather, Albert Elmer Herman Louis Melahn, died on this day of January 24th  in the mid to late 1970's. He was sixty-nine years old. He can be seen in the photo directly above with my grandmother, Clara May Fitchie Melahn where they are standing in front of one of their favorite restraunts that was located in Crystal Lake Illinois.

This photograph was one of my dearly departed grandmother's favorites, perhaps because of the memories she had of enjoying meals with him at one of their favorite places. For years after his death she laid the framed photo facedown on an end-table. Evidently looking at the image made her miss him even more. I am their first grandchild and the loss to me was great as well which is probably how most people feel when their grandfather dies.