Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Live, Damn It!!


I'm a plant killer. I admit it. I'm not proud of it, but there it is. The only plants I can keep alive are the plants that you can't actually kill, aka the pothos. I've had my pothos since I moved to Portland many years ago. I froze it twice that year and it still managed to come back to life. I frequently forget to water it, the cats have used it as a bed and as a snack, and while I'm fairly certain it needs to be re-potted, it continues to live and make my bookcase look a little more homey. Unfortunately the other plants I have don't have the same determination to live. The geraniums on the windowsill are always drooping, and I'm fairly certain if my mother didn't come take care of them on her visits, they would be dead by now.
I know, I know, all they really need is a little water. That shouldn't be too hard a concept to grasp, and yet it seems I either forget to water them enough or I over water them. I really just can't win. But now I have a real challenge. Don's great aunt passed away this winter and we inherited one of her prized African Violets. The pressure is on now to keep this little beauty alive and well in honor of Auntie. For anyone not familiar with the African Violet, it has to be one of the pickiest plants living. You can't get water on the leaves, or they will turn brown and die. How do these things even exist in nature??? Since I brought it home all the blossoms died and have fallen off, all the outer leaves are turning brown, and I can see cat nibbles on one of the living leaves. Not a good sign. And yet, tucked way down, still curled up tightly, I can see a little bud growing for a new flower. So maybe there is hope! Thanks Auntie, I'm really trying!

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