Thursday, February 23, 2023

Well, THAT'S Done


My curious familiar, hiding behind the ponytail palm fronds.

As dear John Lennon said, "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans," and today did not turn out at all to be what I thought it would. I got an early text from Jessie who had been put on stand-by for work AND August had woken up feeling very puny with a sore throat. I take it that throats are not supposed to be sore after getting adenoids removed, although the neck may be. So- is he getting another cold or something? He had a little fever but they had told Jessie that a slightly elevated temperature was normal. 
So who knows? 

Poor boy. 

I had had two of the most interesting dreams early this morning. One was that I had gone to a very fancy-schmancy elementary school PTA meeting only to remember that I had no more children IN elementary school and I was both relieved and a little sad. 
The other dream was quite unlike any dream I've ever had. I was on a boat on some sort of expeditionary trip and there were so many people on the boat with me and they were of all sexes and genders and ages and races and they were all just beautiful, interesting people. I would not mind my brain working on that one and presenting more versions of it. 

I pondered those dreams and tried to figure out what I was going to do with my day now that my services as MerMer were unnecessary and what I decided on was to start moving my plants back outside. Now I know it's only February but when the temperatures are reaching the eighties and your plants are almost audibly sighing in need of more light and a real, true, good drenching with a hose, it seems reasonable to risk it all and transfer them back to the porch where they live. 
So I began. I swept the porch and then I noticed the un-identified palm that I bought as a house plant and stuck in the dirt and which has huge fronds now, needed at least four of the fronds lopped off because they were brown. So I did that and hauled the fronds to the burn pile and in doing that I realized that there were a lot of downed branches from all the wind we've been getting so I got the garden cart and picked them up and hauled them to the burn pile and then I started moving plants. The ones I could handle on my own, anyway. 

The rearranging of the plants on the porch is not unlike doing a puzzle. I have to situate them so that the ones who need the most sun are on the west side of the porch where the afternoon light hits them more directly and of course there also considerations to be made for size. I have various plant stands and tables I set plants on and had completely forgotten the little beautiful green table that has been covered with small plants in the laundry room all winter which I wanted to move out there. 



I had not planned on getting Mr. Moon involved today but he volunteered when he came in for lunch and so we got everything moved out. He is such a darling. 

I tidied and swept all the areas where the plants had overwintered and cleaned off the table we'd set up in the library which had held a small jungle of plants (see above with jungle-tiger) and folded it up. I set the rug to rights and moved the rocking chair back where it belongs and then I trimmed the plants on the porch and I was happy to see that most of them look to have survived the winter fairly well. Some have even put out new growth which is heartening. 


Almost all of my plants have a story and I do love them. They mean a great deal to me. I ignore them sinfully for the most part, almost never fertilize them, and water them when I remember. 
This appears to be just the way they like it. 

This all felt quite productive and now I'm just hoping that we don't get another hard freeze. 
Now. Having said that, let me just say that my husband has just turned on the air conditioner. 
In February. 
Holy shit. 
He's been working outside all day and he is hot. In all the ways, of course. 
It's not just temperature hot, it's also muggy as hell. 

The last thing I did before I sat down here was to go and weed around two different rose bushes by the garden. Every time I pass them (which is frequently), I think, "Gotta weed those." 
And in today's spirit of gettin' 'er done. I did. 
We did.
Look what I found. 


I actually found buds on both of the roses I weeded. 
Can the wisteria be far behind? 

I'm sorry I didn't get to see my boys but I will see them again soon and my plants are grateful that they got my attention for a change.

Love...Ms. Moon







32 comments:

  1. Sounds as if you made a very good day out of a downer. Now I have porch envy. Also marmalade kitty envy. I do have a pony tail palm. But there's a space where an orange kitty should be.

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    1. Somedays I would gladly mail Maurice to you. And I would pay for shipping.

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  2. you did a lot today! Wow! And your ponytail palm is one I have also...outside...though we call it an elephant foot palm, love them. Your porch is a true southern porch....and I always marvel at the beauty of it! You and A/C? Sheesh.....we had an *event* around these parts.......snow this morning (not right here, tho we did have hail) and snow to continue on and off next 3 days in the mountains surrounding us. Time to get the fire going in the wood stove....our *highs* have been 59 or so..... LOL. Hope Augusts sore throat may be just the aftermath of his surgery and not a new illness
    Susan M

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    1. Is your elephant foot palm huge? I have a friend in St. Augustine who has some enormous ones.
      Stay warm.

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  3. I wonder why they didn't take the tonsils as well if August is prone to ongoing infections. But then I am very old school.
    I admire your industry in moving all those plants but am grateful I don't have to do likewise. I do need to prune the roses which have not enjoyed the hot weather.
    I have always wanted an orange cat. Even a contrary sod like Maurice.

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    1. They don't just take the tonsils if they take the adenoids now. And the doctor said his tonsils looked fine.
      I had always wanted an orange cat too. Now I'm not so sure.

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  4. Today's high was 60. Saturday's high will be near 50. Tomorrow, when I need to have some car work done, the high will be 30. I'm not moving much of anything except the car.

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    1. Well, you got almost a tiny taste of warmth, didn't you? You guys are tough.

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  5. I love your porch and the little green table is perfect between those beautiful chairs. I also like the colourful pot there. I never see pots like that here, maybe tiny ones that would be useless except as pencil holders, but never any big enough to hold plants. Anyway, I can almost hear the sighs of relief from all those plants at being back where they belong.

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    1. That pot is Mexican talavera. Some of the prettiest ceramics around, I think. My bathroom sink is made of it.

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  6. 37 paddington:
    I too wonder that they left the tonsils. My brother and I both had ours removed as children, my brother’s adenoids were removed as well. I am not aware of either of us suffering any I’ll effects as a result. I do hope August’s puny feeling goes away soon. Poor kid.

    Love the plant love!

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    1. They used to just take them both as a matter of course.

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  7. Your porch area is just gorgeous - and if those plants like almost total neglect, sounds like perfection to me!

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  8. 37p again. Just read that doctors don’t like to do tonsillectomies anymore, that it makes patients more prone to respiratory infections and ailments as adults, and who is to say that my autoimmune issues today aren’t related in some way to getting my tonsils out? All that to say, scratch my earlier comment. I hope Austin feels better soon.

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    1. I think that doctors used to view tonsils as something like the appendix. Take it out before it causes trouble. Or them.

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  9. August!!! Not Austin.

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  10. I hope August recovers quickly, poor thing.

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  11. Your porch looks lovely with all of the plants back in place. Our Winter has been milder here and things are starting to sprout. We can still get snow in March so I don't want to jinx it!

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    1. I've seen it snow here in March! But not for eons.

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  12. Your plants look great, Mary. You seem to have great luck with begonias, which I have yet to do well. Maybe they need the humidity? Here's hoping that August is back up on his sassy feet soon. x0x0 N2

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    1. I love begonias. Maybe they do need humidity. I know they do not like a whole lot of sun.

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  13. our brain waves must be connected because yesterday I decided it was time for the plants to go back out even if it is still just February, for all the reasons you listed. Maybe I'll get to that today but Marc wants to go to shopping mecca and get some athletic shoes and some clothes so maybe not til tomorrow. the nuns' orchids always sends up its bloom stalks in January and February in the house but don't usually open til I get the outside. this year one of them already has open flowers in the house.

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    1. Wow! on your nun's orchid. I actually had a begonia start blooming in the dark hallway.

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  14. You have the perfect grandma and grandpa house, at least how I imagine such a house in my mind, wide veranda, rocking chairs, lots of plants and the screen door hanging open.
    The sun is shining brightly this morning here and it's -27C . Sigh.

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    1. I think that's exactly what we have. A grandparent's house.

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  15. I see big plants in the nursery, for not a lot of money, but I prefer to raise mine from little ones.

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    1. Most of my plants started out much, much smaller. Or from cuttings.

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  16. I wrestle with this time of year, even in the UK. I desperately want to leave the plants outside but it's still just a tad too cold.

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