Snow had been predicted for the Mission area, which would have included the monastery. We can be thankful that the prediction failed and even though it was overcast and cold at the monastery, there was no snow. In spite of the bitingly cold weather, there are a number of beautifully flowering plants on the monastery grounds. Also, in spite of the many flowering plants, the majority of trees and shrubs still bear naked branches and look almost as if it was still winter.
There are some people who are known for having a “green thumb” but I am not one of those people. Looking at the many plants around the monastery grounds reminds me of the joke that I am one of the few people who are able to kill plastic plants, and this is not far from the truth. In the past, people have given various types of plants to us and I tried to keep them alive for transplanting but either watered them too much and they rotted in their containers, or didn’t water them enough and they shrivelled up and died. This is an odd fact when one considers that there were herbalists in my family who could do amazing things with plants, even bringing dead plants back to life. Oh well, everyone has their own talents, plant care just isn’t one of mine.