Whimsy Bower

Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake

(Links take you to all available stores. Blood Magic and Tooth & Claw are free on most sites. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

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

12 October 2026

Happy Thanksgiving 2026, Canada!

With all due respect to the summer lovers out there, autumn is clearly the best season. Perfect weather, blue skies, beautiful colours, pumpkin everything (it and its spices are delicious--don't pretend otherwise), and two holidays in October for Canadians. There's more than enough to be thankful for.

By the way, who else loves the blue pumpkins that have been showing up in stores? If I could, I'd buy all the pumpkins (in all the colours) and fill my home with them.

Speaking of, I went looking for pumpkin dessert inspiration and came across a trove of options on the Canadian Living site. If you're looking for something new to try, you might like these:

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars

Pumpkin Scones with Whipped Brown Butter Icing

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Loaf

Pumpkin Sticky Buns

Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake with Caramel Sauce

Classic Pumpkin Pie with Yogurt Whipped Cream

Pumpkin Praline Tiramisu

Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake with Chocolate Icing

And if you have a favourite pumpkin recipe you'd like to share, leave it or a link in the comments...

Curious about the origins of Canadian Thanksgiving? Read about it here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Aspasía

My Books

(Links take you to all available stores. Blood Magic and Tooth & Claw are free on most sites. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

05 October 2026

This Week's Inspiration (05-10-2026)

Artist unknown. Please share if you know who made this!

When I saw this needlepoint of Howl's secret garden (Howl's Moving Castle), I fell in love. The subject, the colours, and the work that went into it all sparked my imagination. It doesn't hurt that I've recently learned how to do this kind of embroidery, and now I want to embroider everything :) I don't know who the artist is, but if you see this-- you did an amazing job! (Needlepoint spotted on Pinterest.)

Here's a screenshot of Howl's garden. I think the embroidery is actually prettier than the original...

What are you inspired by right now? Share in the comments...

Cheers,

Aspasia

My Books

(Links take you to all available stores. Blood Magic and Tooth & Claw are free on most sites. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

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

28 September 2026

Dealing with Scale on Houseplants

Scale is...disgusting.

To be fair, all infestations are, but there's something extra creepy and gross about scale. Maybe it's just my trypophobia acting up. Ugly little bumps where they shouldn't be *shudder*

Although it doesn't look like it, scale are insects. Tiny insects that steal the sap from plants (both indoor and outdoor), killing them slowly. Because of how they look, it's easy to mistake scale for a fungal disease or other infection.

How to Recognize Scale

Scale doesn't have a definitive look. They're generally small. They can be white, black, orange, brown, or a variation that blends in with the plant. They can look rounded or not. They can be soft or hard-shelled.
One way to identify them is by knowing you'll never see just one, and they usually appear in clusters.
Scale don't move once they've settled into place and started feeding.
Sticky leaves that are yellowing and falling off are a sure sign that something is wrong with your plant. If you notice this is an issue, look closer to identify whether scale is at the root of the problem.
Sooty mold-- black patches on leaves-- can be a sign of scale:

Sooty mold on leaves

Tips on Dealing with Scale

Scale is easiest to eradicate when in the nymph or "crawling" stage of their life cycle. Unfortunately, this stage is short and easy to miss. If you do catch them at this point, use insecticidal soap or other pesticides to get rid of them.
Once the insects develop a hard coating, it's much more difficult to get rid of them. It might be easier to simply discard the plant (it sucks, but the scale will eventually kill your plant anyway).
Scale can spread to other plants, so once you find it on a houseplant, get it away from other nearby plants.
When you find scale on a plant, start by pruning infected branches, if possible. Dispose of pruned parts right away (don't compost them).
Use cotton swabs or cotton pads dipped in rubbing alcohol to wipe down the plant, including under the leaves and all nooks. This kills the scale, and wiping the bugs off helps to spot any new ones that show up. Repeat as necessary. For a larger infestation, where applying alcohol by hand is impractical, try organic horticultural oil spray. Apply spray in the evening, every 7 to 10 days until the infestation is gone.

I have a small Greek Myrtle that came to me with scale. I didn't notice the problem for a while and I was really lucky that it didn't spread to any other plants. Since the myrtle was (and still is) small, I used the pruning and alcohol method, and it seems to have worked. I just checked over it again, this time with a magnifying glass, and couldn't find anything suspect (although the pruning led to some weird sideways growth, so I'll have to do something about that). I'm cautiously optimistic that the plant is now scale free.

My Greek Myrtle seems to have recovered from scale...

Have you ever had to deal with scale on your plants? Feel free to share any tips in the comments!
Further Reading
How to Get Rid of Scale on Plants
How to Get Rid of Scale on Plants in Your Home and Garden
How to Get Rid of Scale Insects on Houseplants for Good!

Cheers,
Aspasia
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.)

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com.
Greek Myrtle photos are by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas

21 September 2026

This Week's Inspiration (21-09-2026)

I came across JPH randomly on Reddit and instantly fell in love with his art. He's a Canadian artist who works with mixed media (a good number of his pieces are acrylic on canvas). He describes his style as contemporary impressionist.

What really inspired me is his "Prints by Donation" page, where you can download his work for whatever you wish to donate. He also adds that if you can't make a donation, you're still welcome to "grab one." Because, according to him (and I agree), art should be as accessible as possible.

Please check his work out, and follow him on his socials. Let's keep supporting artists and human creativity!

What are you inspired by right now? Share in the comments...

Cheers,

Aspasia

My Books

(Links take you to all available stores. Blood Magic and Tooth & Claw are free on most sites. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

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

14 September 2026

Wild at Heart

Tip I wish I'd known years ago: to spot a rainbow, make sure the sun is behind you.

I saw a raven this week! It was my first one in the wild. I recognized it by its size and deep croaky voice (nothing like a crow's caw). I love encountering new wildlife, even if they don't quote random adverbs at me. Here's some photos of other things my SO and I spotted on our walks recently...

This plant's striking form caught my eye. I haven't had any luck ID'ing it-- any ideas?

Rowan berries

Burdock

Spotted Joe-Pye Weed

Evening Primrose

My SO managed to snap this pic when he was out on his own. A jogger came by and scared the deer and they disappeared in an instant. He says he never would've known they were ever there if he hadn't seen them. Now I have to wonder how many animals that we never see watch us on our walks.

Goldenrod framing a rough path into the greenery

Most (if not all) of these plants have traditional and medicinal uses. I'm not sure what the foraging policy is in the area, but it's tempting to do a little gathering for teas and other uses (as long as plenty is left for the wildlife and the plant's survival).

Have you spotted any fun plants or animals lately? Share in the comments!

Cheers,

Aspasia

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

All photos by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas.

My Books