What Inspires Me? #5 Flower Bulbs
What comes wrapped in a plain brown wrapper, stirs anticipatory longing, brings lasting smiles but will not prompt a raid from the vice-squad or disapproval from the noisy lady around the corner?
Flower Bulbs!
Flower bulbs are Mother Nature’s winter gifts. When the holidays are over, it’s time to bust out the bulbs!
Amaryllis, hyacinth, daffodils, tulips, grape muscari, paper whites are some tried-and true indoor bloomers. Here’s the link to Holland Bulbs—which are all on sale NOW!
One tiny hyacinth bulb sprouting in the window is a bright spot on the darkest day.
Flowering Bulbs are the most forgiving, best performers of all! I mean it—no matter how black your thumb!
Buy Bulbs: Buy them when you see them…especially on sale! Spring blooming bulbs sold for fall planting are fabulous winter inside bloomers.
Sprouted already, no problem. In a box with a pot? Sure! Without a pot or dirt or directions? Yes! If they are shriveled or squishy? NO
Make sure the bulbs you buy are firm like a crisp apple, not withered, not soft, not moist.
Chill Bulbs: Spring blooming bulbs need to be winterized for 6-8 weeks before planting. So put them in a cool dark place at white wine temp, chilled but not freezing 40-45 degrees. You can plant them and then store them in the dark or you can store the bulbs in a brown paper bag into the fridge. The unused veggie drawer in your fridge is perfect—but not—repeat not—with fruit or they will not bloom. (I keep them away from veggies, too.)
“Plant Bulbs: Hah! More like set them in dirt or dirt substitute such as a bed of rocks, marbles, glass chips, on in a bud vase with water. (Bud vases can be any vessel with a top narrow enough to hold the bulb in place above water.
Teachers! Parents! Grandparents! Plant at least one bulb in a clear long-necked vase as shown in these pictures. The kids, and kid in you, will love watching the roots develop as the bulb sprouts.
ONE is all you need. One bulb in a vase is a focal point. Even one tiny crocus, 2-inch crocus makes a statement. Otherwise, plant in groups—odd numbers 3-5-7
Some Now; Some Later! Just because bulbs come in packets you don’t need to plant them all at once. Pull them out a few at a time for a pop of color. When one begins to bloom, I pull out a new bulb and start it.
Not my manicured nails; not my bulbs either but, definitely daffodil bulbs.
Rule of thumb: Think light bulb in reverse when planting: pointy end up, globe side down.
Daffodil bulbs and others sold in the fall/winter for spring blooming (Like these pictured) NEED to be winterized for 6-8 weeks or they won’t bloom. Take them out of plastic, put them in a paper bag or box and pop them in the wine fridge.
Bulbs sold in box stores as gifts (amaryllis & paperwhites) have already been winterized. If you want to stall blooming, store them. Or plant and watch now!
Teacher Tip: I have teacher friends who use bulbs as a math and science measuring unit—they have the kids measure and chart the growth—especially of amaryllis which, like these shown have 4-foot-long stalks. Amaryllis grow inches in a day…INCHES! Such fun!
Amaryllis coated in wax, like these from TulipWorld, don’t even need water! That’s how forgiving bulbs are!
Plant Bulbs: Hah! More like set them in dirt or dirt substitute such as a bed of rocks, marbles, glass chips, on in a bud vase with water. (Bud vases can be any vessel with a top narrow enough to hold the bulb in place above water.
MIX bulbs if you’d like. The size of the bulb corresponds to the size of the plant and flower. Plant tiny bulbs on the outside, largest on the inside.
Water is huge. Water is key! Water can be the enemy: If planting in soil, moisten the soil well, soak it and stir it and make sure it’s moist all the way through.
If planting in anything else, nestle the bulb into the medium so the base of the bulb is just barely, maybe 10%, below the surface. A reverse iceberg.
At first, you want the tip of the bulb, the fattest part, to be damp because that stimulates the bulb-saying wet=spring=sprout. But not soaked, not wallowing. Do not submerge bulb.
Scroll up or down and zoom in close on one of those amaryllis. Notice how those thirsty greedy roots are reaching into the water. The water is not touching the bulb.
Beyond that initial planting, DO NOT WATER SO MUCH THAT THE BULB GETS WET. Repeat: DO NOT LET THE BULB SIT IN WATER. Repeat: IF THE BULB SITS IN WATER, IT WILL ROT AND STINK.
VODKA: The trick to keeping bulbs from growing too long and leggy—and having to be staked—is vodka. Once you notice root forming or green tops growing, add a bit of vodka to the water. Vodka stresses the plant and stops it from growing too tall. I mean, a bit—not a jigger—think 1 part vodka/7 parts water. Gin works too, tequilla might—but who has extra? Rubbing alcohol is good too but use less—1 to 10 ratio. Never tried mouthwash…let me know.
Climate/Conditions: Nobody cares where you live! If the inside temp is good for you, the bulbs will love it!
Place bulbs in a sunny spot—by a window, think bright! Watch and wait for it. . .
Christmas-blooming Amaryllis are sold everywhere from October-December (on sale from mid-December. Leftover amaryllis bulbs are on sale now—Google it!). But check to be sure they are still firm and not slimy.) Plant them whenever you want knowing it will take several weeks for them to bloom—but dang it’s fun to watch! This amaryllis was planted the beginning of December and just look!
Note: the water level in the vase—just a bit at the bottom and those roots are slurping it up!
See how my amaryllis are planted in tall clear vases? That’s because I’m lazy. Many spring flowering bulbs get top heavy and may need to be staked. No big deal, chopsticks tied with string, ribbon or twine work great to shore up droopers. And VODKA (reread note above).
First the bulb will sprout, YEAH! then green tops will grow, YEAH! Then the flower buds will begin forming—some bulbs get leaves first; some grow flower buds no leaves first, some get both flower buds and leaves at the same time. Just watch it and wait!
Paperwhites definitely tend to get leggy. Yep. vodka—can you say Martini?
Just so you know, these paperwhites are planted in a plastic-lined box with about 3 inches of dirt and some moss and grass on top that I dug out of my yard. 3 inches of dirt—truly. And they wouldn’t have cared if I forgot the dirt all together. Bulbs don’t care!
Once the flowers begin to bloom, move your bulb anywhere—no need to worry about light, sun, anything except heat. Keep your bulb away from heater vents. Move that bulb any place you’d like a spot of color. In fact, away from light is best as flowers will last longer away from light and warmth.
When it’s finished blooming, cut off the flower. Cut it close to the base of the bulb. If you like the look of the leaves, keep the bulb watered and enjoy them. Some, like Amaryllis will stay leafed out as long as you’ll let it. Other bulb leaves will slowly whither and yellow. When this happens. . .
If you have a yard: Dig a hole and toss the bulbs in. Don’t worry about right-side up or wrong-side down, just toss them in. Dig the whole about twice as deep as the bulb is big. Maybe they’ll bloom next year, maybe they’ll rot, maybe a squirrel will dig them up. Who knows? Who cares?
If you don’t have a yard, toss the bulbs in the compost bin.
Now for the tough part, 3 choices:
wash well—I’m talking soapy water and mild bleach soaking for stones—then plant more bulbs you’ve stored in the fridge. Hurrah!
wash well—same as above—store the stones, vases, containers to use again later.
toss the whole mess—dirt & bulbs in compost! Good by bulbs! See your friends next year!
Yes, there is more to it than that. But, going deeper into bulb cultivation and storage doesn’t inspire me. If it does you, here’s a good how-to for keeping and storing Amaryllis.
Fin Pal asks Norman: "How Are You Pal?"
Norman T. Goldfish answers letters from readers. Click on the link to read his reply.
Ready to read Norman’s answer? Scroll down . . .
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Do you have a question for Norman the Goldfish—about friends, school, pets, family, life in and outside the fishbowl? Send him a letter!
Finpals ask Norman "Show Me How-to Clean a Gunky Goldfish Bowl?"
Get ready for a real peek! So many Finpals wrote asking what to do about all that Gunk! That we decided the easiest way to explain it, is to show you!
The “Gunky Bowl” scene from Not Norman, A Goldfish Story by Kelly Bennett with Noah Z. Jones (Candlewick Press)
So . . . we filmed a short video showing Kelly cleaning the gunky green stuff off the goldfish bowl so Norman and his best fish, Knot, would have a fresh, clean place to swim-swim-swim!!!
Ready to watch How-to Clean a Goldfish Bowl? Scroll down . . .
Glug
Glug
Glug . . .
Do you have a question for Norman the Goldfish- about friends, school, pets, family, life in and outside the fishbowl? Send him a letter!
Don’t forget to order your copy of NOT NORMAN: A GOLDFISH STORY and NORMAN: ONE AMAZING GOLDFISH!!
Poetry Challenge #228-Got My Greens
I took a parenting class once…once. I was a new mother far from family and needed help. The facilitator, Gordon, the father of six, doled out advice coated in candy, nuggets such as “perfectly normal.” And “Why would a kid want to eat green? Grass is green and dogs pee on it.”
“Why would a kid want to eat green? Grass is green and dogs pee on it.”
Happy National Green Juice Day! (celebrated every Jan 26th—definitely not Gordon’s idea.) According to National Day Calendar, Green Juice Day was declared in 2016 by Evolution Fresh, a juice making company (surprise surprise) “as a way to empower people to press ahead with their wellness resolutions by drinking a green juice.” Go Green Team are community organization working to conserve & preserve our planet from the grass up—both are good for you!
Poetry Challenge #228
Got My Greens
Take a moment—perhaps while blending up a tasty brew of kale, broccoli, spinach and honeydew…yum—and think green thoughts.
What images pop into your head when you imagine “green”? Is it trees in a shady glen? The Greenbay Packers? Dang, I forgot to take out the recycles? Green with envy, Greenbacks, or The Green Green Grass of Home ala Tom Jones?
Write a free verse poem inspired by your green imagining—with a hitch. Be free with your ideas and words, but . . . add structure to your poem by varying line lengths using a long/short or short/long pattern. The first line can be as long as you like, but the second can only have one or two words (or vice versa) and so on.
Think Green!
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing!
Don’t Think About it, just do it!
*Another “greene” worth celebrating—or not—Jan 26, 1875, George F. Greene of Kalamazoo, Michigan was granted a patent for an “electromagnetic dental tool,” the first electric drill designed for dental work.
Need green inspiration? Here are 2 favorite green picture books, Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger and Green on Green by Dianne White and Felicita Sala.
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge 2000+ days ago. Now we take turns creating prompts to share with you. Our hope is that creatives—children & adults—will use our prompts as springboards to word play time. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl):
All who subscribe, comment or share a poem will be entered in . . .
What inspires me #4 Two Thousand One Hundred Ten
Babe with Little Ray Kelly
2110 whoopee! Not talking dollars. Or baseball. Although I do love baseball. And I do have a baseball book forthcoming next spring: The House Babe Ruth Built, a celebration of Babe Ruth’s historic first homer in baseball’s first stadium, comes out Spring 2022 from Familius, just in time for the 100th anniversary of the original Yankee Stadium (more about that later).
Today I’m reposting this cat I let out of the bag 1710 days ago. PSSSSSSSST It’s been a secret! A secret-secret I’ve been doing that now, on this 2110th day, I'm Celebrating! Cue the Band!
“...be kind to your fine feathered friends/for a duck maybe some-body’s mo-th-er!”
For 2110 consecutive days, midst three moves, construction, vacations, births, goodbyes, hellos, and oh no! I have generated a poem a day.
No, I am not going to share any of my poems here, now. (You're safe...for now!}
No, I did not do it alone!
Nor would I ever have imagined getting to day 2110. That's why I'm telling you about it.
Is there something you've been meaning to try, but haven't?
Perhaps a personal goal? Maybe a resolution? Do you keep saying to yourself, as I have/do/probably will again: "I'll start next week" . . . "After the holiday, really" . . . "Tomorrow." . . Tomorrow. . . tomorrow. . . tomorrow . . . tomorrow . . . tomorrow . . .
What's the Gimmick? Gotta Have Skin in the Game.
Here's what I mean: I committed to the challenge with a friend. The rules of the game were set in writer's blood (aka "Ink"). We pledged to email or text our assignments to each other every day by midnight. Or else...
It's that "Or Else" that made the difference.
Rewards & Consequences: Some folks respond better to positive reinforcement. I've shared previously how my author-mentor-friend the late Paula Danziger bought herself pieces of amber jewelry but...gave them to her editor to hold until she met a deadline. In order to get SE Hinton to write her second novel (after The Outsiders), her then boyfriend waited each day for her to finish her pages. Others reward themselves by putting dollars into a honey pot. (Big bucks!)
Rewards do not work for me. It is too easy not to pay myself. Nor have I yet found a payoff big enough (and attainable) to entice me to do anything...and I mean An-ny-thing!
I need Consequences, penalties, shame. That's what motivates me. Deadlines with consequences. So, in order to insure that I'd stick with the challenge, I set a penalty a miserable embarrassing consequence. I pledge to complete each days prompt and send it to Cindy by midnight. If failed I vowed to donate $50 to Trump's campaign publically--on Facebook. Pre-election that was the stiffest-realistic-penalty I could imagine. One I was not willing to pay and so, I did the work Every. Single. Day. Here's the 1-2-3 of it:
Set a "realistic" Goal
Set a "clear" Consequence or Reward
Set a Timer (The secret ingredient!) Cindy and I devoted 7 1/2 minutes each day to complete the prompts. That's it 7 1/2 minutes. Read. Set Timer. Go.
I was amazed at what we accomplished in 7 1/2 minutes. GDC: a concrete GOAL, a set DEADLINE, and a CONSEQUENCE for not meeting that deadline was exactly the motivation I needed to stick with the journal, especially through those first couple of days, then weeks, and vacations, and late nights, and yucky prompts. The answer is YES I CAN!
Tomorrow is here. 2110 down, more to go!
Celebrating 2103 Playlist:
Wanna keep in touch? Click on SUBSCRIBE to receive email notification of new posts on Kelly's Fishbowl.
Fin Pal asks Norman "How Did You Write That?"
WOW! That’s a good question. It’s a question lots of kids ask. The truth is, Norman didn’t write the picture book Not Norman, A Goldfish Story. Kelly wrote it. She also wrote Norman One Amazing Goldfish about the day Norman’s human entered him in Pet-O-Rama.
Norman is a made-up goldfish in her story. Norman is also a goldfish that lives at Kelly’s house. But, let me ask you: while Norman the goldfish is swimming around in his bowl, might he be imagining stories?
Ready to read Norman’s answer? Scroll down . . .
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Say kids:
If Norman did sneak out of his fishbowl, where do you think he would go? What would he do?
If Norman’s idea sparks a story in you, share it with us here! We’d love to read it. And, who knows, your story could become a book, too!
Happy Creating!
P.S Norman did write a story about how he got his human. It’s called Not Curtis! to read it, click!
Do you have a question for Norman the Goldfish—about friends, school, pets, family, life in and outside the fishbowl? Send him a letter!
Poetry Challenge #227-Popcorn
I’m missing movie popcorn: light, airy, crunchy, salty, buttery bites that grease up your dry skin. Mmmmm! And makes movie-watching oh so tasty!
The first single pops that grow faster and faster until clouds of popped corn flow over the sides of the pan.
Those red and white striped cardboard containers that pop into shape. Or the waxed bags filled until one more piece can’t balance. The smell! The taste!
Poetry Challenge #227
Movie Popcorn
Think of something you miss. Maybe it’s a favorite food. Maybe it’s summer since it’s January. Maybe it’s the sun on a cloudy day. Maybe it’s a friend or relative or pet.
Whatever it is, write an acrostic poem about it using the letters POPCORN as the first letters for your seven lines.
Be descriptive. Make your reader miss the thing too.
“Each acrostic poem has a topic idea running down the left side of the poem. Each letter in the topic word has a new thought that runs off the side from left to right and is relevant to the topic word. The topic word is typically the title as well.”—definition and examples on KidZonePoetry
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing!
Don’t Think About it, just do it!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge 2000+ days ago. Now we take turns creating prompts to share with you. Our hope is that creatives—children & adults—will use our prompts as springboards to word play time. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl):
All who subscribe, comment or share a poem will be entered in . . .
What Inspires Me #3: MLK, the Biggest Dreamer
Martin, “Martin” of the song, “Martin” of the movement, “Martin” our hope for a kinder country.
Martin Luther King Jr. was as human as all of us, and as vulnerable (and maybe fearful, too.) The difference, is that MLK dared to dream big, big dreams. Dreams for himself, for his family, and the biggest—for us, humanity.
Jan 17, 2022 is Martin Luther King day, a national holiday set aside to honor the man—and most importantly his dream for the world with hopes that we will listen and strive toward it.
On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, at the Lincoln Memorial. Below is the recording courtesy of NPR.
