These are my poinsettias that spent the summer outside on the deck, where long hours of daylight turned them green. I always bring them in before frost and wait for the shortening days to turn them red again, but this year I accidentally discovered how to speed up that process. I ran out of regular houseplant food, and gave them the kind for flowering plants. It makes sense, as the red parts are not leaves but bracts, and bracts are specialized to support flowers. I’ve never heard this advised and it’s only happened this once, so may be coincidental. But I’m trying it from now on, so eventually I will know.
As you see beyond that windowsill, we have a lot of snow right now. Snow in December is delightful, at least for those of us who work from home or not at all. The deer, scourge of my garden in spring and summer, become scenic in a winter landscape. They might be posing for a Christmas card. The season must be difficult for deer, with food less abundant and more shelter needed, but just their perseverance gives an aura of reassurance, a feeling of peace. Hard times can be gotten through.
The typical seasonal representatives of deer, of course, are reindeer, and they are well represented in the winter decor in my home. Like all the best holiday decorations, these carry a lot of memories for me – Christmas parties, the very good friends I celebrated with, and especially my friend Andree, who applied the gold and tied the ribbons that distinguish these fellows. Or girls – I have learned that all reindeer have antlers, and only females keep them in the winter.
Frassy prefers a softer kind of reindeer. She has an easy life in our house, lounging on quilts, but on the other hand she has killed four mice since she moved in with us. If she had to survive in the wild, I expect she too would persevere.
Robin Richstone 