New Year's Resolutions

12:22 PM AirplaneFoodCritic 0 Comments

Ah yes, it is that time of year. Time to take stock, look back at what you have done, what you would like to have done and what you might have changed. Time to look forward to things you would like to do, changes you would like to make to your life and yourself  to make it better/happier/easier/fulfilling/etc.  I have three this year. They are simple, sure, but they are all to better myself and my life.


The first resolution is that I plan to water and take care of my plants better. It sounds simple, but it isn't for me. Last year, with all my traveling, I realized that my garden looked far better when I returned from vacation because someone else was taking care of my plants! I like my garden so much it is a shame that I let so much die. I have a beloved bonsai Japanese Maple Tree, two Anthurium, several spider plants and an herb garden indoors. Outside, I have tomatoes and peppers that I may get rid of to make way for mostly only trees. I have a Loquat tree the BF grew from seed, a Lemon tree, an Orange tree and a 10 year old Plumeria tree. There are also plans to revive two vines I keep wanting to grow together around the patio area; a Morning Glory and a Nasturtium. I hope to get enough energy soon to organize the outdoor plants and plant some new ones. I have seeds for a Papaya tree and a Bird of Paradise bush.


The second resolution is to read every day. I tried to do this in a previous year but my illness took over. Now that I am feeling better I can catch up on the bazillions of books I have.


I am currently trying to finish Dan Brown's latest book Inferno. I have read all his others like a good reader. Yes, his books are overly popular but whatever gets the general population reading and talking about books is great. My absolute favorite authors are Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. They are a dynamic duo when they come together to write thrillers. They have a new one out that I have yet to borrow from my brother called White Fire. 



White Fire is the latest in what they call the Pendergast series. Agent Pendergast being the star of the series, of course. The first of the series is called Relic and it has to be the scariest book I have ever read. They made a movie out of it that was a major flop. I couldn't even get through half of it, it was so terrible. But reading the book is a whole other animal. I used to read it in my bed when I lived alone. I would be next to a pitch black window and I would try to peer out looking for a monster that was surely not there. Oh what fun it is to be scared like that. The writing of all the Pendergast series is brilliant. Do check it out if you like thrillers and are looking for a solid, trustable output of books.


The third resolution is kind of embarrassing but it is to take good care of my teeth. The reason why is two-fold. One, I lost my insurance so I can't visit the dentist. In fact, my dentist himself, who is also a family friend, told me that it was not worth the money to add it to my COBRA or other supplemental insurance because it is far too expensive and not worth the money in the end. The other part is that I am not commuting anymore. What does commuting have to do with my teeth? I am a floss addict. ADDICT!!! I love flossing. I love the feeling in my gums, I love the oral fixation, I love everything about it. Problem is, I only floss while driving. Unsafe? perhaps. This means that during my 1.5 hour commute, each way, I would use one of those little one handed floss do-hickeys. That added up to two brushes and two long, drawn out flosses, at least, a day. Now? Not so much. So, my resolution is to make time to floss every day at least once. I will also whiten with some strips. It sounds so lame but it is still a resolution so I am mentioning it.


There is a hidden fourth resolution which I eluded to in the last blog and that is to blog more. I know probably every single part time blogger like myself likely says that but I am still saying it. I hope to blog every week which means every seven days. See? I am getting this one in just before the 14th. To keep myself on track I hope to send out a mini blog every month to go over how my resolutions are keeping up. It can be beneficial to readers as well as to myself because I will share what I am reading and how my plants are producing. It can be like our own book club/garden club. I will post next a starting blog to show my plants before and the plan is to show how they look at the end of the year and it will be a whole different story.


Please follow along and please share with me any gardening tips you may see I need, specially with pruning because I am horrible at this stuff. Also, I would love it if any of my readers are also reading the same books that I am. If you are currently reading Dan Brown's Inferno I want to hear your opinions. I will post mine at the end of this month. I love to have comments and hope to interact with any readers I may have. Happy New Year!