Wednesday, December 21, 2022

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As you can see, I put up my Christmas tree. I decided that since we were going to be bringing the plants in from the porch, I might as well bring in the current potted Norfolk Island Pine and bonus- the decorations were still on it. I have to say that it did not fare on the porch that well this year. It may actually be smaller than it was last year. 


Maurice for scale. She jumped up there to check it out and I asked her, "So what do you think about the tree, Maurice?"
She looked at me and said, "Mrrrow," which means she likes it very much. 

So today was the day to bring the plants in. I sort of can't believe we did it. Jessie was here to help with the very last few but mostly it was Mr. Moon, his dolly, (the kind that has wheels) and me. 
Ooh boy. 
But it wasn't horrible and neither one of us seems to have gotten any permanent injury but as I told Glen and Jessie when we were getting the last ones in place, I think that when it's time for them to go back out we need to get Vergil and Owen over here. 

Anyway, here's what parts of the house look like now. 


Dining room hearth with fern and two Monsteras. Remember when I got that Monstera plant at the dump? It has turned into those two big ones and another smaller one. Things like that just charm me. 

The hallway is housing some plants. 





And the library has been overtaken. 


Mr. Moon set up a table in there and although you can't see it, behind the table is a chest with smaller plants. 


If you look carefully, you can see Jack exploring the underside of a bird's nest fern. 


Believe it or not, that bird's nest fern on the left there is a huge plant. It may be taller than Levon. We're just going to have to go through the hallway to get from library to kitchen and back again. 

There are more plants stashed in various places. The laundry room is holding some. There are three that are so giant that they are staying on the porch and will be covered and provided with a heat source. It's not that they were heavier than some of the others but they stretch out so much that I'm not sure where we could stash them in the house. 

As I said earlier, Jessie came out and brought the boys in the early afternoon. She helped with the plants and everyone ate lunch and then she helped her daddy vacuum seal some barbecue and sausage that he bought in Tennessee by the truckload. 
Okay. That is hyperbole but there is a lot. 
We opened a jar of the tomatoes I tried to pickle yesterday. 
They are, in my opinion, vile. I rarely say that about any of my culinary efforts but in this case, it is appropriate. I will be throwing them out. Oh well. 

August helped with the vacuum sealing too and Levon allowed me to read him some books. We read The Five Hundred Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins again because he wanted to. I was quite happy to sit on the love seat in the library with him smashed up next to me reading that story to him. Lots of good voices for me to do. August came in and joined us when we read And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street. And then he asked for The Lorax but it was time for them to go. 
"Wait!" I said, as they were going out the door. "I didn't get any pictures!"


They were being silly and this is the best I got. 

It's been a full day and a good day. We got a lot done. And I feel that I have somewhat redeemed myself in the sandwich buns I made for our supper tonight. 


They are lovely and light, yet substantial enough to hold some Tennessee barbecue. I cooked some of this last year's field peas and made cole slaw. 
And that is what I like about the south. 

I finally figured out what I would like for Christmas. I am going to need new pruners and new loppers. After this next week's cold, there is going to be so much trimming that needs to be done. Trimming and cutting back, with hopes that the camellias, azaleas, confederate rose, palms, and so many more will recover after the five days of hard freeze we're going to get starting on Friday. I doubt we'll get an azalea blossom this spring at all. The spirea will most likely freeze to the ground. Jessie and Vergil have so much beautiful citrus planted and I do not know how it all will survive. Tomorrow I need to go out and take cuttings of the firespike to root over the rest of the winter because it will be gone. We haven't had temperatures in the low twenties and teens in so long that I'm not quite sure what to expect. I feel certain, however, that the invasive plants that I curse and pull, curse and pull, will of course spring forth like the Phoenix come spring. 

Here is the plant that I am most emotionally attached to, safe and warm right off the kitchen and between the pantry and a bathroom. 


As with almost all of my plants, there is a story attached. That is a mango tree that I started from the pit of a mango I found on the ground in Roseland under a tree that I had eaten mangos from as a child. The tree is no longer there and so I feel that this plant is a living link back to my childhood and one that can never be replicated. It may even be one of the mangoes that Chester planted. If you have no idea who Chester was and have any interest in knowing, just do a search up there at the top of the page on the left. I have written about him many, many times. 

All right. I just found out that a friend of ours has been in an accident and I am a bit distracted at the moment. Mr. Moon has gone to see what he can do. 

So much for the good day thing. 
Shit. 

Please be careful, y'all. 

Love...Ms. Moon






28 comments:

  1. Looking at all your plants makes me want to buy even more than we have. Although husband spent much of the afternoon bringing in plants from the patio. Maybe not today. (TX gulf coast supposed to be below freezing for 2-3 nights).
    Barbara from Houston

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    1. They're predicting six nights below freezing here. Gonna be crazy.

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  2. I wish the best outcome for your friend! Good job getting in all those porch plants and arranging to cover the remainder of the outdoor plants.

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    1. I'm just going to let a lot of stuff try to tough it out. I can't begin to cover things like azaleas and camellias. And then we shall see if they come back or not.

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  3. Your house reminds me of a book our family had when I was a child, The Plant Sitter. It is a charming book, and I would recommend you get it, but looking it up all the used copies are very expensive. It is about a boy who plant sits for his neighbors and ends up with his house jam packed full of plants. Maybe your library has it???

    I hope your friend is okay. My sole decoration this year is a poinsettia. That plus looking out at the gorgeous snowy scenery.

    Susan from the Pacific Northwest

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    1. That IS an expensive book! I'll check the library. Thanks.
      Our friend is okay. Phew.
      Poinsettias are lovely at Christmas and anytime.

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  4. your plants all look so loved and healthy.....and now they can stay that way being inside, pain in the rear it was! You ARE expecting some very cold temps....for you, this is almost unheard of and you are wise to prepare. Also glad to hear your friend was not seriously harmed in the accident, that IS the icing on a good day!
    Susan M

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    1. I can't remember having temperatures below freezing for this many days in a row in many years. It's going to be something.

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  5. Oh my your house is so gorgeous and the air must be so pure with all of those plants making oxygen for you. Sorry your tomatoes were not the best idea- they were certainly nice to look at all snuggly in their jars.
    Went all out again for christmas decor! Santa Jesus is sure to stop by!!

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    1. I've heard that that thing about plants in the house purifying air is bogus. You'd need like thousands of plants.
      And yes- I surely did go all out on the decor! I didn't even show you the picture of the dining room with the star lights plugged in! Whoo-hoo!

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  6. Your outdoor plants are my indoor plants:) They all look lovely and healthy.

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    1. My plants get nothing except occasional watering and what is most likely inadequate light and yet, they seem to thrive.

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  7. I read your second post and I'm glad all's well with the people. As you say, cars can be replaced.

    That is some collection of plants, all huge and beautiful. I have smaller versions of some of them.

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    1. I love going down to South Florida or Mexico and seeing plants growing outside in the dirt that I keep in pots here. I do love the tropicals. And the tropics.

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  8. Do they all have to live outside in summer? They look so good in your house. Sort like a Victorian conservatory.

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    1. Yeah. They don't get enough sun in this house. Especially after the pecan trees put their leaves back on.

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  9. I hope the plants will be warm and happy and I'm glad your friend is okay.

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  10. The sandwich buns look delicious! I'm going to have another try at bread making after the Christmas New Year season is over.
    Your house looks lovely with all the greenery which is so much more lush than anything I have growing. Your philodendron is so much greener than my three which are yellowing and I don't know why. Possibly too much rain over the winter and spring, or maybe I need to feed them nutrients of some sort.
    Your mango tree is doing well, how old are they before they give fruit?

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    1. That mango will never give fruit. I've had it growing for at least ten years. I believe they have to be grafted.
      Philodendrons don't like too much sun. They are pretty happy in shade. Could that be the problem?

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    2. They are under the plum trees and only get direct sun from about 4:30pm for a short while, possibly it is ....oh who knows.

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  11. Well, that's quite a plant collection. I had a Christmas cactus, something in my mind that could never be replicated. It was my great grandmothers. after 8 years or so, I killed it. Killed it dead. I felt awful about this. My sister thought I was ridiculous, since I'd given cuttings from this plant to all the nieces and nephews, and she even had two large plants started from it herself. She was right, of course, but when I was getting ready to throw mine out, I found a tiny little shoot. I have nursed it back to health. It is covered in blooms this year. We have discovered that my husband is allergic to it.

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    1. Oh no! What a plant story! I am so sorry that your husband is allergic. I have let some beloved plants die in my life. It's always sad. Good for you for bringing that one back.

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  12. Glad your plants are safe inside. We are expecting a fierce snow storm with high winds and cold, cold, cold temps starting this afternoon. I am hoping all the roads are cleared before Saturday so travelers can get here safely.

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    1. It's going to be a rough Christmas for the whole country when it comes to traveling, I think. Stay warm and inside!

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  13. Good job on getting all the tender plants inside. I have been on a campaign to lessen the number of plants we need to move every year, but we don't have near as many as you do. I have sentimental attachments to some of mine, too.

    Who's in the portrait above your Norfolk Island pine?

    "To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street" is one of the books that the Seuss estate is no longer publishing because of racial stereotypes. Apparently there are Asian caricatures that some find problematic?

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    1. Well, for the past many years, I've just been pushing my porch plants up against the wall and covering them but I knew that the temps we're about to get would kill them if they weren't brought in.
      That portrait is of my father's grandfather. So my great grandfather.
      White Burkett Miller. Look him up! He's still known in some parts.
      And yes- in that book there is one Chinese guy who has stereotypically slanted eyes and a pointed hat and "eats with sticks." Personally, I don't find that very offensive but I am not Chinese.

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  14. You have more plants than me though my biggest ones are in the garage against the wall of the house under a tarp with my little electric heater which I forgot to put out there the first coldest night though we've been keeping the garage door closed even though that door is the one we use most often to go outside.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.