The Journey of Flowers

The Hong Kong Orchid in full boom. And  along the way, it also took on fascinating shapes.

Spending time in the garden has taught me a lot of things.

Not just about plants and soil, but also other things, such as developing patience. Being patient, while waiting for a seed to sprout, or for a new plant to show buds of color and beauty. Being patient while the plants shuts down for winter, or shed its leaves, looking bare and undecorative.

I also learn that some plants may not root, and also sometimes, you can’t give up on a wilting plant, and that it can be nurtured back to health.

But walking in my garden in late summer, I was reminded of a life lesson I had been guilty of forgetting: that in my focus to reach my destination, I sometimes forget to really enjoy the journey or the stops along the way.

It took several walks in the morning or early evening for me to notice the flowers in various stages of bloom. It was as though I had never really paid attention to this before.

The Hong Kong Orchid, in its first few stages of blooms, astounded me with a geometrical-like shape. The baby plumeria spiraled outward with verve, reminding me of a top.

The flowers “talked” to me. And so I have to thank my garden for leading me back to this awareness. Thus, this year, I will remind myself that on the way to my goal or to whatever else I desire, I will be mindful to enjoy the journey, and not just the destination.

The bud took on a crisp, geometric angle as the petals unfold.

The plumeria in full bloom.

I was fascinated by the way the baby plumeria spiraled outwards.

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A Sweet Tooth = Nice People

I came across an interesting study which indicates that people with a sweet tooth are nicer people.

Researchers from North Dakota State University and Gettysburg College reported in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology that people with a sweet tooth tend to be more agreeable and also more willing to help others.

Well, I sat down and thought about all the people I know known for their sweet tooth, and I think there might be some truth in this correlation.

But then again, I might be a tad biased as in our family we have had three generations of folks with a sweet tooth, and needing a dessert or a touch of sweet to end lunch or dinner.

And I am one of them. Sometimes, fruit can do the job, but definitely not all the time. We need a real dessert made with sugar and everything nice that comes with it. It could be something simple like a piece of chocolate or something more elaborate like the traditional Malay cakes.

One of my Mother’s favorites was ice cream with canned fruit cocktail. This dessert reminds me of the 70s, and sometimes, I serve it with vanilla ice cream for a bit of retro fun.

I like the traditional Malay name for dessert pencuci mulut, which is translated to mean something to cleanse the palate. It sounds courtly, and also makes it sound as if dessert has a beneficial function!

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The Old Chair

Hours

Reading the newspaper;

Or time for a little nap.

Always comfortable,

Always there.

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To See a Flower….

 

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The Slender King of the Trees

In the tropics, the coconut tree has often been called “king of the trees”. The tree, known in Malay as pokok kelapa, not only provides shade, but also has different uses at different stages of its growth.

People of the tropics know that the juice of the young coconut makes a refreshing drink. It also has a medicinal use. When given to a child afflicted with chicken pox, it is  believed to lessen the ‘heatiness’ of the body.

When the coconut ripens, the flesh is grated, mixed with water, and squeezed to obtain its milk called santan in Malay. Santan is to the Malay cook what soy sauce is to his Chinese counterpart.  It is a base for cooking different types of curries and gravies, as well as for desserts, usually sweetened with palm sugar.

After the coconut gratings were squuezed for santan, we fed them to the family hens.

- excepted from my book Kampung Memories, a semi-memoir of childhood memories and Malay culture.

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A Care Quilt

Lubern quilts with care, for caring people.

You could call it a “care quilt”. A quilt to keep you warm, and Lubern Nunley gives his quilts to people whom he considers warm and caring, and who also cares about others.

Lubern says that he quilts “from the heart”, putting together quilts for friends and families; for special occasions like weddings, anniversaries, graduations or “just because”. He has had people offering to buy his quilt, or wanting to custom-order, but Lubern prefers to keep a no-sale approach to his craft.

He quilts in two ways: one from a pattern and the other is known as scrap quilting. For the latter, he begins by creating a centerpiece, then adding pieces like a puzzle.

I have seen Lubern’s quilts created this way, and I find it fascinating the way the pieces harmonize in terms of color or the connecting sense of the designs. I think one has to have an instinctive aesthetic propensity to make such a quilt.

Often, the designs are inspired by facets of the personality or interest of the future recipient of the quilt.

Lubern is the third generation of his family skilled in the art of sewing and quilting. “My mother learned quilting from my grandmother. Then she had us boys, no girls. But she was determined that we become self-sufficient in both studies and life skills, picking up on how to cook, clean and sew,” he said.

A visit to a quilting convention in 2003 inspired Lubern to devote more time and passion to quilting. Since then, he has made over 300 quilts . He has sent them to family and friends in various cities in the United States as well as abroad to countries such as Holland and Greece. A patchwork of colors from San Jose, California – quilted with affection and love.

Lubern likes warm, bright colors.

Lubern has a big collection of fabrics and scraps available to fire his creativity.

Blue and purple are among his favorite colors.

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Sunny and Bold

The hibiscus, a tropic plant, grows well in southern California. I like the way the bold hues energize the garden.

The hibiscus is the national flower of Malaysia.

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Laundry Day and Elbow Grease

The clothes were scrubbed against the washboard to remove the stains and grime.

How nice it is to drop a load of laundry in the washing machine, then go back to the book or TV, relax, while the laundry is being done! In the days before washing machines were affordable and widespread, lots of elbow grease were required on laundry day. Here’s an except from my upcoming book “Kampung Memories”:

“In those days, laundry was done manually or completely by hand. Washing machines were not in the picture at all. Most households had a person designated to do all the laundry, or often a washer-woman offered her service to the households.

The woman would come to the house several times week to do the laundry. I remember we once had a washer-woman who was quite a fascinating character. She was a stout lady, friendly but did not talk much. She often rolled a cigarette after she had done her washing, stood with one hand on her hips and smoked while seemingly lost in her thoughts. Even as a kid, I could see that she was a tough lady, not easily intimidated or ordered around.

One of the laundry items that caught my attention and imagination as a child was nila or indigo, a product that makes white clothes whiter and brighter. At that time, not only schoolchildren wore white shirts and blouses, many men also wore white shirts to work.

Nila was sold as a blue-colored soap bar. You cut a small slice and mixed it in a pail of water. It would turn the water a bright blue, and I enjoyed waiting for that “magical” moment. The white clothes which had been washed would be dipped in the blue water for a final rinse, then hung on the clothesline to dry.”

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A Sweep of History

Olney...dedicated to the heritage craft.

In a world of mass-produced goods, there is always a special place for handcrafted objects.

Warren Olney is a craftsman dedicated to the art of handmade brooms, and it was a pleasure to chat and learn from him when I met him at a fair.

Born and raised in Pasadena, he is now based in Oregon. He learnt to make brooms from his father, and that was the start of his lifelong passion. He travels all over the country displaying and sharing his knowledge of this American heritage craft with the public.

When asked how long it would take for one to be a good broom-maker, Olner was modest in his answer and said: “I’m still learning.”

The brooms are made from the sorghum plant, grown in Texas, and he uses an interesting-looking broom-making machine. Like many objects made with personal attention, the handcrafted brooms are built to last. One customer told Olney that the broom that he bought from him had lasted 17 years.

At the same time, these brooms are valued not only for efficiency and durability, but also for its link to history. When talking about the subject, Olney likes to take the listeners on an imaginary trip to the pioneer days when salesmen brought their household wares on peddler wagons. “Each wagon specialized in one type of goods. For example, one would be selling brooms, another tin plates,” he elaborated. He writes about the history of broom-making on his website http://www.broomshop.com.

Olney is teaching his grandchildren who are in their 20s the craft of broom-making, and he hopes that they will expand their interest in the craft in the future.

I guess I always have a soft spot for handmade brooms. One of the items from my childhood in Singapore was the broom that my grandmother made to clean the yard. Of course, unlike Olney, she was an amateur, a resourceful homemaker. And being in the tropics, the coconut tree provided the material for the broom. She used the stiff midrib of the coconut leaves to make what is known as penyapu lidi, or stick broom.

Learning history through household objects: always so colorful and enjoyable.

Olney enjoys discussing the history of broom-making with the public.

The brooms are made from sorghum.

The note explains that this is one of the first brooms made in the pioneer period, and that it would be found next to the fireplace.

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Teatime

 

A splash of color,

Comforting, warm

With my tea.

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