Detours by Deepali

Time and money

Deepali — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 08:19:34 +0000

They say that if you steal a money plant and make it grow and flourish in your house, you would prosper and get rich. I just got one home. Will I get lucky and rich now? Hmm..time will tell

Scindapsus aureus or money plant is a popular houseplant. It’s hardy and thrives with the minimum fuss. Here’s how you can give your little plant a big growth:

Temperature - Requires temperatures between 15º C-30º C. The leaves develop spots and turn yellow below 10º C.

Sunlight – If leaves turn yellow or start shedding, it’s a sign of excessive sunlight. Money plants don’t like too much sunlight so in summer you could place a wet cloth above it.

Watering – Change water every 2-3 days. (I did this in the initial weeks but now the plant has settled so have reduced the change to once in a week or two based on water quality.)

Trimming – New leaves grow out from the tips of the creeper. Trimming side shoots will give a single long stem or cutting off the tip will encourage side growth to give a more fuller plant. Also as the plant is growing I keeping pushing it back into the bottle a little. That way the nodes that touch the water will give out roots and over time I will be able to snip off the bottom roots as they start to rot without affecting the plant.

Fertiliser – It can survive on naturally found salts in water and does not require addition of nutrients to the water. But any nitrate base fertiliser can be used. A weak solution of liquid fertiliser to be added into the water keeping in mind to add it late evening because in strong sunlight the fertiliser can cause root burn. (Don’t add fertiliser to newly cut or trimmed plants as fertiliser can damage the plant. Roots and leaves have different types of fertilisers.)

Pesticide - The money plant does not attract a lot of pests however it sees its fair share of ants and mosquitoes. A water based household insect spray like Sheltox would get rid of the ants and mosquitoes. ( I tend to use narrow necked and clear bottles so I can keep an eye on water quality. )

Do you have a money plant at home? How do you make your plant flourish and get you rich?

Change before you have to

Deepali — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 06:03:30 +0000

Summer is here! As I feel the sweat over my brow I wonder how warm and long the days ahead will be. But hey, this is the season when laziness finally finds respectability “Summer, after all, is a time when wonderful things can happen to quiet people. For those few months, you’re not required to be who everyone thinks you are, and that cut-grass smell in the air and the chance to dive into the deep end of a pool give you a courage you don’t have the rest of the year. You can be grateful and easy, with no eyes on you, and no past. Summer just opens the door and lets you out.” ― Deb Caletti, Honey, Baby, Sweetheart See more change here.

A day in the city of joy

Deepali — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 07:05:51 +0000

Here’s about a wonderful day I spent in Kolkota, a city that at the first glance looks like she’s got trapped in a time warp (as if you’ve just stepped into a theater set of a 1950s play). But spend a day here, stand and stare, unfold, and she’ll soon hook you with her myriad of culture and heritage.

See Photo Challenge: A Day in my Life here.

Related post: Not so Quiet Flows the Hooghly.

Uniqueness is commonplace

Deepali — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 11:05:27 +0000

We tend to think of our selves as the only wholly unique creations in nature, but it is not so. Uniqueness is so commonplace a property of living things that there is really nothing at all unique about it. A phenomenon can’t be unique and universal at the same time. – Lewis Thomas

Everyone thrives most in his or her own unique environment. - Marilu Henner

You all laugh at me because I’m different, I laugh at you because you’re all the same. ― John Davis

You’re unique. Just like everyone else. - Alison Boulter

See more interpretation of unique in Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge here.

Photo Challenge: Love

Deepali — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 22:22:28 +0000

“If music be the food of love, play on..” ― William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night.

See more love here.

Beyond cobbled alleys

Deepali — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 11:34:08 +0000

The air was soft, the promise of every cobbled alley so great that I thought I was in a dream. ~ Jack Kerouac

It is indeed magical to wander the little cobbled streets with each bend tempting you to follow and see what lies beyond!

See more photos which invite you to look beyond in Weekly Photo Challenge: Beyond

Starting over

Deepali — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:44:11 +0000

“Hard is trying to rebuild yourself, piece by piece, with no instruction book, and no clue as to where all the important bits are supposed to go.” ― Nick Hornby

Light is in my name

Deepali — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 13:47:45 +0000

My name, Deepali, literally means ‘a row of lamps’ in Sanskrit. The story is that I was born around Diwali, the Indian festival of lights and my mom’s doc said it’s auspicious and we should always remember this. So, he gave me the name and it stuck .

Maybe that explains why I have a thing for lighting up deepas when I am in a happy celebratory mood. A deepa or diya is an oil lamp usually made from clay, with a cotton wick, used temporarily as lighting for special occasions. But then “light is good from whatever lamp it shines”.

There are two kinds of light – the glow that illumines, and the glare that obscures. ~James Thurber

In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary. ~Aaron Rose

Hello 2013!!

Deepali — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 17:40:25 +0000

Wow! To think that a year actually goes by only one day at a time, at the rate of 60 minutes an hour and yet I wonder where did an entire year go!

The world did not end last month and now that we’ve rung in 2013, it’s time for resolutions. I’ve resolved umpteenth times to ‘be more‘ but that hasn’t gotten me any more slimmer richer or popular beyond the first quarter :-). So, this year I’m going to resolve to ‘be less‘. Here are three for starters:

Be less rushed. I’ll take time, see things, as in really see them… stand and stare.

Be less of a wimp. I’ll say things as they are and when it matters. Do things as I want to.

Be less clingy. Yeah I do that…tend to cling to stuff I have no need of.. you should see me closet to believe me. I could surely use a broom and some teflon this year!

Now that I have a list, all I have to do is keep it . How are you doing with your resolutions?

Wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year!!!

Here is my past year in pictures:

The Belur math, Ramakrishna Ashram

" data-medium-file="http://deetoursbydeepali.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/calcutta-016.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="http://deetoursbydeepali.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/calcutta-016.jpg?w=620" width="150" height="112" src="http://deetoursbydeepali.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/calcutta-016.jpg?w=150&h=112" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="The Belur math, Ramakrishna Ashram" /> after a dip in the river

" data-medium-file="http://deetoursbydeepali.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/calcutta-030.jpg?w=225" data-large-file="http://deetoursbydeepali.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/calcutta-030.jpg?w=620" width="112" height="150" src="http://deetoursbydeepali.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/calcutta-030.jpg?w=112&h=150" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="after a dip in the river" />

See more 2012 photos in the Weekly Photo Challenge.

He passes through walls!!

Deepali — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 16:35:25 +0000

Le Passe-Muraille (the Passer-Through-Walls) by Marcel-Aymé in Paris.

Le Passe-Muraille is the title of a story by Marcel Aymé about a man named Dutilleul who discovers that he can (you guessed it) walk through walls. The statue is situated in a place named after Marcel Aymé in beautiful Montmartre.

See more surprise here.