Happy Easter

 

Wishing a lovely holiday to everyone who celebrates!

Cheers,

Aspasia

Hibiscus vs. Aphids

This is my first hibiscus flower in a while (the red one; the white flower is from a Christmas/Thanksgiving/Holiday cactus that decided to flower in March). I was incredibly excited to see a bud-- until I noticed it was covered in aphids.

Photo via https://plantura.garden/uk/trees-shrubs/hibiscus/hibiscus-overview

Disgusting, right?

Luckily there was some insecticidal soap on hand, and a few sprays seemed to take care of them, allowing the flower to open. But they could still be in there, dormant, waiting...

I'm going to have to stay vigilant.

Tips on Dealing with Aphids on Houseplants

• Aphids can weaken plants, stunt their growth, or even kill plants. They also reproduce quickly. Take steps to deal with them as soon as you spot them.
• Aphids can be green, black, or white, and are easy to see with the naked eye.
• On hibiscus, aphids will congregate on flower buds, or at the tops of stems, to feed on sap. They excrete a sticky substance called "honeydew" that falls on the leaves underneath and causes something called sooty black mold. Sticky leaves and sooty mold are other signs that you have an aphid problem.

Photo via https://gardeninggroot.com/black-spots-on-hibiscus-leaves/

• You can control an aphid infestation a few ways: pick insects off by hand and drop in a bowl of soapy water; knock the insects off the plant with a blast of water (then collect and kill them); use insecticidal soap or another pesticide designed for aphids.

Make Your Own Insecticidal Soap

1 Tbs (15 mL) Castile soap 

2 cups (500 mL) water

Mix and pour into a clean spray bottle.

Spray plant thoroughly, including the underside of leaves. Keep applying every few days or weekly until all the insects are gone.

If you're unlucky enough to have aphids or another insect infestation on your plants, you have my sympathy. I wish you much luck getting rid of them.

Aphids are like the vampires of the insect world, sucking the lifeblood (sap) of the plant. Distract yourself by reading about actual vampires (they're a lot more fun and far less gross)-- check out my books (links follow)!

Do you have any other tips for dealing with aphids? Share in the comments...

My Books

Love Lies Bleeding

Bleeding Heart

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

All photos by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas unless otherwise noted.

Winter's Winding Down

Of course, this being southern Ontario, winter has a few last gasps before spring finally arrives. I took these photos over the last couple of weeks. A lot of the snow in the earlier pictures has melted. Then it snowed again. Tomorrow it's supposed to be -25C and on Wednesday it's supposed to be +17C. No matter what the weather's doing, though, the birds are singing and the squirrels are frolicking, and spring is definitely on its way...eventually...

We had some impressive fog a little while back, as the snow started melting. The grey "sky" in this shot is actually fog over the Etobicoke Creek.

 

 

Staghorn Sumac

Staghorn Sumac

Eastern White Pine

I was so excited to see these coyote tracks and then, when we encountered the coyote later in the walk, I didn't think to take a photo! We spotted him as we were approaching a bridge. He was on the other side of it, coming toward us. We backtracked and gave him space. He was cautious, but eventually passed us and went on his way. It was a highlight for me.

I also spotted a bald eagle being driven into the trees by a group of Canada geese. I've seen smaller birds targetting hawks in the past, but this was my first eagle (outside of the zoo). 

The sign outside Tim Hortons has a vaguely threatening energy. Or maybe it's just me. 

Round-leaved Bittersweet

I tried to capture the water droplets on the berries, but it didn't turn out the way I'd hoped.

What's the weather like where you are? Share in the comments. And don't forget to get my books! (Also, apologies for the wonky formatting--blogger is being weird today and I can't figure out how to fix it.)

My Books 

Bleeding Heart

Love Lies Bleeding

Blood Magic

Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

All photos by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas

Recipe: Slow-Simmered Pasta Sauce

A delicious vegan sauce that's a hit even with diehard carnivores!

 

Slow-Simmered Pasta Sauce 

1 litre (approx. 4 cups) tomato juice (you can also use crushed tomatoes, thinned with a little water)

1 med-lg yellow onion, chopped 

2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced 

250 g (8 oz)  cremini/brown/baby bella mushrooms, chopped coarsely

1 large sweet bell pepper, chopped

3/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed

1 dried bay leaf

1 Tbs fresh basil, chopped

1 Tbs dried parsley (or a small bunch of fresh leaves, stems removed and leaves chopped)

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste (optional)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Good quality olive oil 

Your choice of fresh or dried pasta 

 

Pour 1 to 2 Tbs olive oil into a large pot (enamelled cast iron, if you've got it). Heat over med-low heat and add onion. Stir until softened and translucent, then add garlic and mushrooms. Once the mushrooms are softened (about 5 minutes), add in pepper. Cook, stirring, for another minute or two.

Add tomato sauce/crushed tomatoes to the pan with the vegetables. Stir well. Add in oregano, bay leaf, basil, parsley, crushed red pepper flakes (if using), and salt. Stir again, then cover pot with lid. Let simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove lid from pot and stir. Taste and adjust seasonings (at this time you can add in some ground black pepper, if desired). Lower heat so that the sauce is lightly simmering, and partially place lid back on (leaving a gap for steam to escape). Leave on a low simmer for two or more hours, stirring occasionally (once every 30 minutes). The sauce doesn't need to be watched constantly, so you can do other things while it's cooking (but it does need to simmer that long). If sauce gets too thick as it's cooking, add a little more tomato juice, broth, or water.

Sauce is ready anytime after the 2 hour simmer (although the longer you can let it go, the better). Remove bay leaf. Cook pasta according to package directions.

As soon as pasta is cooked and drained, place in individual bowls or plates, and add a generous amount of sauce. Add some grated cheese, if you want (I like Asiago) and serve with a salad and bread on the side.

Serves 2 to 4

 

Variations

1. Add a bunch of washed, chopped spinach to the pan when you add the tomato sauce. 

2. Chop a small zucchini and add the pieces to the pan when you add the bell pepper.

3. Add some butter to the olive oil when cooking the vegetables, or stir 1 to 2 Tbs of butter into the sauce after simmering.

The basic ingredients. I had mini sweet peppers on hand, so I used the equivalent of a bell pepper.

I meant to take more pictures, but got distracted and forgot (oops).

Feel free to ask any questions you have in the comments. And if you make this, let me know how it turned out. Don't forget to get my books (links follow)! 

My Books 

Bleeding Heart

Love Lies Bleeding

Blood Magic

Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

 

Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

All photos by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas

 

 

 

Fighting the Flu

Note: None of this is meant as medical advice; I'm just sharing what works for me. You should always consult a trained medical professional about your health.

I've had the joy of dealing with the flu this past week and a bit. I don't handle illness super well, but this time the misery was compounded by bad weather and an unexpected allergic reaction to medication! But more on that in a bit. I've been sick enough times in my life that I've ended up with a list of go-to remedies to help myself through it. Here's what I've found works for me...

Zinc

This is more a preventative, but I've found that since I started taking zinc supplements (50 mg chelated zinc, every other day), I've caught far fewer viruses. I'm prone to zinc deficiency because I have a harder time absorbing zinc in the first place, so I need to supplement. Someone without this issue, who gets enough zinc in their diet, wouldn't get much benefit from supplementing.

The berries of Sambucus nigra, aka Elder

Elder

Although it doesn't do much for the common cold, Elder is fantastic for the flu. I personally prefer to use syrup made from the berries (available at health food stores and some pharmacies, or homemade). Elder zaps a fever, eases aches, and generally makes the flu more tolerable. During this recent bout, I used it twice during the worst of the illness, and afterwards didn't feel bad enough to need it again. If I can't find the syrup, I'll have elder berry or flower tea instead.

 

By Kimchifan, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20653196 

Greek Mountain Tea 

Also known as Sideritis (S. syriaca and S. scardica are two of the most commonly used species) and Ironwort, is the perfect tea for what ails you. It's soothing, tastes pleasant (it's the only tea I liked as a kid), and any Greek (Bulgarian, Albanian, Turkish...) grandma will tell you it'll help you feel better. If you don't live where it grows, you can find it in Greek bakeries or European grocery stores (let me know if you've also found it elsewhere). You can find more info and instructions on making the tea here. Serve with honey and/or lemon, if you want.

 

Warm Liquids 

I love my coffee and tea iced, but when I'm sick, warm fluids are the only way to go. While I think Greek Mountain Tea is the best, any kind of tea is good, especially with some honey in it. Soups and broths are a must. Anything warm is soothing, and helps with the chills too. 

 

Ibuprofin 

The flu generally comes with all kinds of aches and pains. Ibuprofin is anti-inflammatory, as well as analgesic. You can get it under various brand names, or as generic ibuprofin. Whatever it's called, it has made my life easier. 

 

Daytime and Nighttime Cold and Flu Meds

I used to be opposed to taking any kind of medication-- I'd suffer through with natural "remedies" that didn't really do much. Nowadays, I'd rather sleep through the night and be able to breathe. I can't stand the taste of medicine, so I'll get this stuff in pill form (I like Buckley's, which is Canadian) and it's a lifesaver.

 

Fresh Air 

Maybe it's an old wives' tale, but I feel better when I can get some fresh air when I'm sick. If I have the energy I'll go for a short walk, but it's also okay to just sit outside or open a window. Unfortunately, this flu coincided with some of the coldest temperatures and biggest snowfalls we've had in decades. Luckily it warmed up this past weekend, so I managed to get some walks in, and (after the first one, which wiped me out) I feel stronger and more energetic for it. Coincidence? Placebo? Maybe, but it works for me.

Throat Lozenges 

This flu started with a sore throat, and I was extremely grateful for the existence of throat lozenges with benzocaine, which I've never used before. These lozenges are numbing and kill the pain of a sore throat. Awesome, right? Well... When I started having a few minor signs of an allergic reaction, I thought it was just part of the flu. But when I ended up covered in hives on my torso, I did some reading and found out benzocaine is chemically similar to another drug I'm allergic to (bactrim, an antibiotic), and can cause cross reactions. I obviously stopped using those lozenges, and the hives are mostly gone now (I've also been taking allergy pills to help minimize the reaction). Sadly, there will be no more numbing lozenges for me. Stupid allergies.

 

The Flu Shot! 

Yes, I got the flu shot back in October, and still got the flu. The way flu shots work, every year the shot is chosen based on which strain is likely to be prevalent in the upcoming flu season. Sometimes, an unanticipated strain ends up spreading. The flu I got this year was one of those. But because I got the shot, I wasn't as sick as I could've been, and that's huge. I haven't always bothered to get the shot, and the last time I caught the flu when I hadn't had the shot, it was miserable, and wiped me out for weeks afterwards. That was the year I started regularly getting the shot. Zero regrets. I've had the flu a couple of times since, including this year, and it has never been as bad as it was the year I didn't get a shot. Influenza (the flu) isn't like the common cold-- it can hit you hard and it can kill you. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not getting taken out by a virus.

 

Rest 

I know there's pressure to never take a break, never take time off, work through the pain, always be doing something. That's a great way to get sick and stay sick (and spread the illness to even more people too). To get better as quickly as possible, your body needs rest. Whether that's more sleep than usual, or just lying on the couch and doing as little as possible, do what you can to do nothing. It's more important than we realize (or want to admit).

 

If you're up for it, reading is a great way to pass the time when you're not feeling your best. Distract yourself with my books (links follow)!

 

What works for you when you're sick with the flu? Share in the comments...

 

Cheers,

Aspasia 

My Book Links

Love Lies Bleeding

Bleeding Heart

Blood Magic

Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

 

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

 

 

Crocheting with Dollar Store Yarn

 

Not too long ago, I was checking out Dollarama's craft section when I found what seemed like a treasure: a soft, seemingly decent quality, chunky ball of yarn in a colour I loved. The only problem was that there was just one, and it didn't have a label. Sigh.

I know, I know-- dollar store yarn. The thing is, I'm allergic to animal fibres. I'm also not super familiar with all the alternatives. I do know that cotton doesn't work for every project, and bamboo can be hard to find in stores (and never seems to come in colours I like). So, acrylic is my go-to. Problems with acrylic aside, it's soft and I love working with it. And as someone with fairly amateur knitting/crocheting skills, I appreciate not spending too much on my experiments.

Anyway, I couldn't put that yarn down, so I decided to risk it and figure out something I could make with it. The colour matches a hat and mittens I already have, but I didn't think the yarn would be enough for a scarf, so I decided to see if I could find a pattern for an easy cowl to make.

I also tried finding more of the yarn at a different Dollarama, and ended up finding what looks like the same kind of yarn--but only in two other colours. Since the pattern I found is for a striped cowl, I went ahead and got the other colours (a black and a blue so light it almost looks white). And then I decided to use the new yarn to make a practice cowl first.

Oh, and it turns out the yarn is "Knit It!" Cable Knitting Yarn in 100% polyester (I'm honestly not sure if that's the same as acrylic or not). 

So I...

• Used the new yarn meant to supplement the original yarn without it
• Used knitting yarn in a crochet project
• Used the wrong size hook (a 6mm instead of an 8mm) because that was the biggest hook I had, and I didn't feel like getting another one

See why it's better that I don't use really nice yarn? Here's how it went...

The sad beginning (I thought I did something wrong, so I re-did it. It looked the same): 

 Looking a little better as I added in the second yarn:

Coming along. Look at all those ends that need weaving in (the one thing I hate about crocheting/knitting):

 

Looking much neater now. It also ended up narrower at the end than when I started out. I have no idea how that happened. 

It's cowl shaped!

 

So, what's the final verdict?

Working with the yarn was fine, mostly. I noticed it kept losing strands as I went. Not a lot, but it does make me wonder how much the cowl will shed over time. The yarn also split (separated from itself) as I was crocheting. It didn't bother me, and doesn't seem to have affected the cowl, but I know that's not generally a good thing. 

I really like the feel of the finished cowl-- it's soft and cozy. But it's also stiff. I hope the yarn will "relax" a little after I wash the cowl a couple of times. I also expect it'll pill like crazy.

I think this yarn would make a nice blanket with some good weight to it. But again, the pilling would be a problem (not to mention finding enough yarn to make a blanket in the first place).

Based on my very limited experience with it, I think dollar store yarn (at least this one) is perfectly good for a quick and easy project, like this cowl, or for anyone who wants to hone their skills before investing in better, pricier yarn. Have you tried dollar store yarn? What was your experience with it?

By the way, don't forget to get my books! I promise I write better than I crochet (links below)...

For anyone interested in making their own cowl, here's the (free) pattern I used: Sweet Bee Crochet 

Cheers,

Aspasia 

Get My Books 

Love Lies Bleeding

Bleeding Heart

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Books marked * are free everywhere other than Amazon. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

 

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

All photos by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas

 

 

 

Vampire's Garden

For anyone interested in herbs and plants (growing, using, history), I've got an ongoing series over at my main site. 

I started writing these posts because the main character of my novel Love Lies Bleeding (Amarantha AKA Mara) is a vampire that has a garden and an apothecary business. Some of you might have also noticed that the titles of my novels are also the names of plants :) Here's the full list (so far) of articles- enjoy!

Love-Lies-Bleeding

Comfrey

Lavender

St. John’s Wort

Dock

Yarrow

Chamomile

Garlic

Nettle

Bleeding Tooth Fungus

Hawthorn

Bloody Dock

Queen Anne’s Lace

Bleeding Heart

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Yew

Photo by Julia Filirovska on Pexels.com

Dragon Blood Tree

Meadowsweet

Blood Flower

  

Photo by Stream on Pexels.com

Bleeding Fairy Helmet

By Alan Rockefeller – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=99546442

 

 Feel free to check out my books too!

 

Love Lies Bleeding

Bleeding Heart

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Books marked * are free everywhere other than Amazon. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

Cheers,

Aspasia