During this time of social distancing, I've made the happy discovery that I have plenty of projects right here at home to entertain myself. I've been finishing a number of needlework projects that have been in progress for a while, including a small grandmother's flower garden quilt, which I finished piecing over the weekend. (I still have yet to actually do the hand quilting on a quilt, so teaching myself to do that is next.) And after seeing Marilyn's post about her tea crop last week, I realized I haven't tried to root my camellia sinensis plant in a while, so I thought I'd give it another shot. I got two healthy-looking cuttings and planted them in clay pots (one of which, appropriately, is teapot shaped), dipped them in rooting medium, and crossed my fingers as I placed the plants in soil.
While I was at it, I got a couple of cuttings of a rosebush nearby. I've heard that roses are difficult to root this way, but hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
And while I'm not holding out much hope for these old camellia sinensis seeds I had stored in a plastic bag, I'm going to plant them anyway. (I've passed these around when speaking on tea, just to show those who are interested what the seeds look like.) Yesterday, I started the 24-hour process of soaking them. I gather I should have planted them several years ago when they were fresh, but I read over the weekend that adding boiling water might soften them and maybe allow them to root. Again, I figured I had nothing to lose here.
While I'm still staying close to home, I had a very "social" Saturday by Zoom crafting (a virtual event) with friends in Savannah and Newnan, and that evening, my Sunday school class virtually attended the wedding of a young couple in our class. They decided not to postpone their wedding but instead got married in the backyard of the bride's parents' home, around the pool (which actually made me a little nervous!), and Alex and I watched the lovely event on Facebook Live. It reminded me that those million-dollar weddings have nothing on a young couple so in love who are determined to build a marriage with God at the center. I have high hopes for them!
So there you go. Quilting, crafting with friends, and some (maybe) tea growing. I've read that many of us have used the pandemic to revisit old crafts and hobbies or perhaps pursue a home renovation project. That's true here with the gardening and crafting. What's going on at your house? I'd love to know!
Good luck on your camellia sinensis plants and seeds! I love your tea pot planter.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been doing any crafting at home yet(except for making a mask to wear outside), but I did order some white napkins and embroidery thread and transfer patterns last week, so I hope to monogram the napkins when they arrive. I'm also trying to work on de-cluttering my apartment, and at least I've gotten a start on that.
I taught myself to crochet during this time. The new dishcloths I’ve made are great!
ReplyDeleteHi Angela! Glad you and Alex are well and doing fun projects during the pandemic lockdown. Your state has reopened, but Michigan's lower peninsula is still pretty much in quarantine. Zoom and Facebook have been a blessing to keep us connected to family, church, work, and friends.
ReplyDeleteMy project has been sorting, scanning and editing old photos - almost 800 to date - and making them into Shutterfly albums. It's a tedious project I wouldn't have had time to tackle before the lockdown. I inherited all my mother's pictures and had a lot of my own. My kids will thank me someday for sparing them from this task. ;-)
The Whitney is thinking it will be allowed to reopen for outdoor dining before indoors, so I'll probably be one of the last to return. I think it'll be awhile before people come for Afternoon Tea. Detroit was hit very hard with the virus and people are afraid and cautious. My last day of work was March 6th and the governor closed restaurants on March 9th so it's been a LONG hiatus. I haven't minded it though and am thankful to be well. Hugs, Phyllis
well, I'm still working, from home mostly although I had to go to my office for a little while yesterday to print a couple of lists. Nobody else was there, though. Anyway, I've been making masks for family and friends, and most recently, scrub caps for my RN daughter. She's charge nurse in a COVID-19 ICU unit so anything I can do to help her, I do! Mostly I pray for her safety and for the recovery of everyone who has this virus. I have been doing a little stamping and have recently tried coloring my stamped designs with colored pencils, which is fun. I'm going to try to grow some coneflowers from seeds, wish me luck!
ReplyDeleteWhat fun projects and so glad I inspired you. I recently read my tea seeds were old too. Now I will be curious if they work for you.
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