Senior Women Web

Ferida Wolff’s Backyard: The Hibiscus Family Tree and Puzzling Times

Written by

SeniorWomenWeb

in

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hibiscus

The Hibiscus Family Tree

Each year the hibiscus plants in our yard seem to be finished. Other flowers come and go and still, no hint of the hibiscus coming back. And then…

The leaves start to pop up from the seemingly non-fertile earth. And once they do, the plants are on their way to growing the most amazing blossoms!

The brittle, white stems from last year’s plants provided good roosts for the birds who came to drink at the bird bath in the winter months. They also had an artistic appeal as they reached out and up in their irregular formations. But now, I’m suddenly aware of a deeper picture. They seem to be embracing the upcoming growth, like the older generation supporting the younger ones coming into the family. There will come a time when the new flowers will burst forth and the brittle branches will snap off but the family connection remains.   

At this time, it is important to remember that we are part of a larger family connection. Yes, people are diverse in many ways but share our human heritage. And even when times seem bleak, let’s try to remember that like the hibiscus we can, we will, blossom again.

The Beginner’s Guide to Growing Hibiscus: https://www.geraniumrozanne.com/beginners-guide-growing-hibiscus/

 

Puzzling Times

puzzles
I love to travel. There are so many places in this world that are amazing. Nature offers a look at different plants and animals, birds and landscapes. And there are so many people to connect with who are willing to share their lives and perspectives. I see the whole world as part of Ferida’s Backyard, a place to explore and enjoy.
 
Unfortunately, foreign travel is not an option right now. We are mostly staying at home, though we have discovered an interesting diversion; we occasionally drive around local areas that we haven’t been to. We stay in our car and explore housing developments, farmlands, small town centers. We often come upon nature paths that one day we will go back to.
 
Meanwhile, I am into jigsaw puzzles. This one keeps me hopeful that I will one day be able to travel again. It is called “Safe Travels” (Masterpieces Puzzle Co.) and it reminds me of what traveling is all about. It shows snippets of other countries and their residents, some foreign currency, photos that were taken, a journal, and other travel details. It isn’t an easy puzzle but its 1,000 pieces provide a meditative process that helps me focus on the now and not obsess on the “what’s next?” 
 
I hope I get to travel soon again but meanwhile, I am peaceful where I am and hope you are, too.
 
Puzzles are beneficial for many things:
 
 
Editor’s Note: We, too, are particularly fond of doing 1000 piece puzzles as a diversion from some current country and world-wide situations. Some of the companies and shops that we’re particularly fond of:  Art Institute Chicago Shop, Educa, New York Puzzle Company, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Galison, Pomegranate Artpiece Puzzles, The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, Miller’s Antiques, Editions Ricordi, Springbok, Eurographics
 
In addition, the following National Institutes of Health article highlighted beneficial aspects to jigsaw puzzling: 

“However, the cognitive benefits of many other frequently performed leisure activities have not been investigated so far. One example is jigsaw puzzling: alone in Germany, it is estimated that almost 7 million JPs were sold in 2016, resulting in a market of €75 million (Npdgroup Deutschland GmbH, 2016). The jigsaw puzzle (JP) market in Europe and the United States was in total more than €400 million in 2016 (The Npd Group, Inc, 2016; The Npd Group Inc, 2017)1, almost twice as much as the worldwide cognitive training market in 2013 (about $220 million; Simons et al., 2016).”

“Jigsaw puzzling may provide two active ingredients (i.e., effective features) that benefit cognition: first, process-specific cognitive demands of jigsaw puzzling could contribute to an increased brain reserve (Gelfo et al., 2018), and second, regulation of distressing emotions through jigsaw puzzling could prevent chronic stress states that can exert a negative impact on cognitive aging and dementia in the long term (Lupien et al., 2009; Wilson et al., 2011).” 

Comments

Leave a Reply

More posts