This time of year is wonderful for reflecting and renewing.  A tradition we have been keeping is to complete the answers to the questions below.  We hope you enjoy them.

• What was my biggest piece of “unfinished business”?
• What needs to be fixed, repaired or organized before ht end of the year? ( or in the first month of the new one)
• What do I want to finally release from this year and not carry into the next?
• What am I willing to circulate that I no want or that no longer serves me?
• What misunderstandings do I need to clarify?
• Who do I need to apologize to?
• Who do I need to forgive?
• What do I need to get back that I loaned?
• Who were the three people that had the greatest positive impact on my life?
• Did I sincerely thank them for what they provided me?
• What was my biggest triumph?
• What was the biggest risk I took?
• What lesson did I learn about the risks and triumphs? 
• What one (power) word do I want to set for my intention?

From all of us to all of you, we wish you the best possible New Year, full of happiness and beautiful gardens! 

Still looking back at the year, but this time in the plant world, here are some Plant discoveries and tidbits that happened: 

The Genome of the oldest flowering plant (Amborella trichopoda) was mapped. From this mapping, they seem to have found some clues as to why flowers display such successful genetic diversity. Check out the article  http://news.discovery.com/earth/plants/oldest-flowering-plant-genome-mapped-pictures-131219.htm

Do you talk to your plants? There is some controversy about whether or not plants respond to the human voice, but what is undisputed is that plants talk to each other!  Check out this awesome episode of Nature that is all about plant behaviors – they fight, look out for each other, they have distinct personalities, elaborate behaviors, and social systems. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/what-plants-talk-about/video-full-episode/8243/

A penny-sized violet This is silly, but plant enthusiasts are all excited about this. This next discovery happened in 2012, in December – (almost 2013) is found in the Andies of Peru.  Nothing special about it, other than its size and it had never been described before.