I Simply Remember These Favorite Things, and then I Can Smile All Day
Episode 12, September, 2023
A Plant:
Aster ‘Colonial Boston’ and others
Fall is aster time; I hope everyone has one or two asters in the garden. My new favorites are the Colonial series, including ‘Colonial Boston’ (photo above) and ‘Colonial Hartford’. These are relatively new, but worth looking for at your local garden center. As a bonus, they flower in the spring and fall.
If you can’t find these introductions, garden centers are offering perennial asters now – grab a couple. They may not be as impressive as you would like this year, but they get better with age.
A Garden:
Dunedin Botanical Garden, New Zealand
I realize that few of you will be trekking to New Zealand anytime soon, but if/when you do, try to find time to get to Dunedin, and this wonderful botanical garden. Dunedin is in the south of the South Island, so climate is quite temperate.
The rock garden is out of this world and the rest of the garden is equally impressive. A trip to this lovely country should be on everyone’s bucket list, and since spring is coming soon to the southern hemisphere, perhaps now is the time.
https://dunedinbotanicgarden.co.nz/collections/rock-garden
A Book:
Quiet, the power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking.
Author: Susan Cain
Nonfiction. Reading this book puts the “issue” of introverts/extroverts into perspective and truly makes you think about a topic that people seldom reflect on a topic seldom think about. Cain, who considers herself an introvert, describes places like open-plan offices as group brainstorming sessions that descend on the startled introvert like flash-storms. She is definitely not a fan,“group-think favors the dominant extrovert, whereas the contemplative and quietly well-informed tend not to get a word in.”
She goes on to describe her fellow introverts as empathetic, preferring to discuss "values and morality" to small talk about the weather. She claims the introvert child is an "orchid – who wilts easily, is prone to "depression, anxiety and shyness, but under the right conditions can grow strong and magnificent".
Our book club loved this book and oh, the discussion we had! The wine helped a bit as well. We are five couples, and after reading this book, we took a poll. People who considered themselves introverts were in the majority and proud of it! Which are you?
A Show:
Streaming Show: The Last Thing He Told Me
Based on a book by Laura Dave, the series revolves around a husband’s sudden disappearance, for apparently no reason. The relationship between his new wife, played by Jennifer Garner, and his daughter is very much and not getting better. However,, when he disappears, they must find a way to cooperate and figure out why he left. Suspenseful and with a lot of twists and turns, it grew on us and it was all we could do not to binge it. Apple TV
A Place:
Ruthin, Wales
A trip to Wales is almost as good an idea as a trip to New Zealand, and a lot closer. Ruthin is the home of Ruthin Castle, built in 1277. The castle is not nearly as impressive as others in Wales, and for those on an ABC (Another Bloody Castle) tour, this would not likely make the cut. However, it is worth considering for a number of reasons. Part of the castle has been converted into a lovely hotel, in which we stayed and greatly enjoyed. The grounds are beautiful and the town of Ruthin is charming. Another reason to visit is that Ruthin is a great starting point for touring spectacular Welsh gardens like Powys and Bodnant.