I found these beautiful poinsettias at Bunnings (Like Home Depot) this week and couldn’t resist bringing them home with me to liven up my flat and to remind me of Christmas.
At home in Utah, I have numerous artificial poinsettia plants that I’ve collected through the years that I use to decorate my home. I place them along the bannister, fireplace mantles and on any other flat space. I’m sure that my family thinks I’m a little “bonkers” to bag and store so many of them but I love the red color and the beauty of the plant.
I’ve heard stories about the tradition of poinsettias as the Christmas plant but I’ve never really read about it so my “Grandma Google” side kicked in and this is what I found:
“Poinsettia plants are native to Central America, especially an area of southern Mexico known as 'Taxco del Alarcon' where they flower during the winter. The ancient Aztecs called them 'cuetlaxochitl'. The Aztecs had many uses for them including using the flowers (actually special types of leaves known as bracts rather than being flowers) to make a purple dye for clothes and cosmetics and the milky white sap was made into a medicine to treat fevers. (Today we call the sap latex!)
The poinsettia was made widely known because of a man called Joel Roberts Poinsett (that's why we call them Poinsettia!). He was the first Ambassador from the USA to Mexico in 1825. Poinsett had some greenhouses on his plantations in South Carolina, and while visiting the Taco area in 1828, he became very interested in the plants. He immediately sent some of the plants back to South Carolina, where he began growing the plants and sending them to friends and botanical gardens.
There is an old Mexican legend about how Poinsettias and Christmas come together, it goes like this:
There was once a poor Mexican girl called Pepita who had no present to give to the baby Jesus at the Christmas Eve Services. As Pepita walked to the chapel, sadly, her cousin Pedro tried to cheer her up.
'Pepita', he said "I'm sure that even the smallest gift, given by someone who loves him will make Jesus Happy."
Pepita didn't know what she could give, so she picked a small handful of weeds from the roadside and made them into a small bouquet. She felt embarrassed because she could only give this small present to Jesus. As she walked through the chapel to the altar, she remembered what Pedro had said. She began to feel better, knelt down and put the bouquet at the bottom of the nativity scene. Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into bright red flowers, and everyone who saw them were sure they had seen a miracle. From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the 'Flores de Noche Buena', or 'Flowers of the Holy Night'.
The shape of the poinsettia flower and leaves are sometimes thought as a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem which led the Wise Men to Jesus. The red colored leaves symbolize the blood of Christ. The white leaves represent his purity.”
If you would like to read the entire article or find out about other Christmas traditions or customs, you may do so here.
I enjoy the Christmas season. Since I’m used to Utah snow and cold weather, I find it a little unusual to be celebrating in 70 degree weather with sea breezes but I am not complaining in any way!
The beach has again been wonderful. We have seen the sun rise daily and it has been low tide most of the week.
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| Oyster catcher |
When one plant, such as the wisteria quits blooming, another takes its place. This week the jacaranda trees are strikingly gorgeous.
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| For my family members who are doing construction in the cold, this is the way construction / remodeling is done here. The whole house is wrapped in plastic. This is one of the homes along the beach. |
I have put a lot of kilometers on my car this week with appointments every day. Most of them have required me to drive to South Auckland area which takes from 30 to 50 minutes depending on the time of day. One day I had 3 appointments and on another 2 appointments. On the days that I have more than one appointment, I try to keep them as close together as possible and then I just stay in the area rather than going back and forth. I have done a lot of work sitting in my car. Please don’t think I am complaining. I am not!! I love the work and I love the missionaries.
I even got to have lunch with this group of gentlemen one day. I had lunch with some sisters too one day but we were so excited to eat that I didn’t get pictures.
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| Elders Felise, Alusa, Harris and Obley |
Saturday evening was our Takapuna Ward Christmas dinner and program. Great to mingle with the members of the ward on such a fun occasion.
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| After dinner, the Primary children had a performance for us to enjoy. |
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| These are just a few of the decorations. |
Sunday afternoon I could hear children playing in the pool. When I looked out my patio door, I saw this jump house on the common area. Someone is going to have a party. I later heard the “Happy Birthday” song being boisterously rendered.
The next time I looked out, the jump house was gone and all was quiet.
Here are a few of the colorful flowers I’ve enjoyed this week.
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| The lady with the beautiful garden we pass everyday has Christmas among her flowers. |
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| The flax plants are blooming at this time too. |
The tui bird has a unusual song. Here is a snippet of song. There are two birds
If you are interested you may watch a video where you can get a close view of the bird and hear other songs/noises they make.
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| My attempts toward healthier eating: Chicken, orange, lettuce, and almonds with balsamic vinaigrette in a whole grain wrap. Salmon, pumpkin and asparagus. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but the salmon here is just the BEST!!! |
I found a slow roast recipe that I like. I have always liked salmon crisply cooked, almost dry. But with this thick fillet and the freshness and flavor, I have discovered I like the moistness of the fish. The fillet is about 1 ½ - 1 ¾ inches thick and it is fresh, never frozen. I am sooo spoiled!!!
Slow Roasted Salmon with Lemon Pepper
Ingredients
1 ½ lb. fresh salmon fillet, skin on, rinsed and patted dry
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon zest (or zest from one lemon)
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepperInstructions
1. Preheat oven to 275°F (135 C). Line bottom of rimmed baking pan with parchment paper. If desired, cut salmon fillet into serving size portions. Place salmon on parchment paper, skin side down.
2. In small bowl, mix olive oil, lemon zest, and salt. Brush mixture over salmon fillets. Sprinkle liberally with freshly ground black pepper.
3. Place in oven; bake 30 to 40 minutes or until internal temperature of salmon reaches 135°-140°F. Remove from oven, and serve.
I hope you will enjoy this recipe. It is so easy to prepare and for some reason, the slow roasted salmon doesn’t make the house smell fishy.
BTW I received my Visa extension until April 27th 2021. My release date is April 6, 2021 so I will be home sometime the first part of April. I won’t have an itinerary until closer to the date of departure.
I love music! This morning as we sang Christmas carols in Sacrament Meeting, I couldn’t help but remember the wonderful friends and neighbors who sang with me in our ward choir. I so enjoyed the spirit that came to our programs and meetings when our choir sang and I particularly love Christmas and Easter music.
Music stirs my soul. We sang Joy to the World this morning but as I looked through the other Christmas carols, I couldn’t help but think that with the memorable year we have experienced with COVID, political unrest, violence, etc. the words to “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” struck a chord with me:
Text: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807–1882
Music: John Baptiste Calkin, 1827–1905
I look forward to a year ahead full of peace, love and “good will to men.”
I love my Savior. I love you my family and friends.
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