plants: part one

I recently adopted five new houseplants.

When I texted this news to my sister, she laughed.

One of the first things I purchased for the old house was a plant. We stopped by a local flower shop/nursery that a random person told me about and brought home Norman- the norfolk island pine.
The kids think it's funny that I name some of our plants. Norman had apparently been at the nursery for a long time, so I did not have to pay much for him. We had already been to the hardware store that morning, so the back of the car was full of goodies and Norman had to sit in the middle of the car.

The boys were batting branches out of their faces all the way home.

- Norman -

When we moved, I had to leave several plants behind.
I gave many of my houseplants and tons of outdoor pots to my dear friends. In AZ, those outdoor plants stay cheerful for you all year round. A few of my AZ plants made the long road-trip with us. I could not leave my Christmas cactus behind; I had never even seen him bloom.

I wasn't sure he would survive in the new city, so I read about the Christmas cactus and its need for
"cold treatments" and 12 hours of night darkness prior to its holiday blooming season. The cactus needs to be cold for a few months or he will likely not bloom. The kitchen seemed like the perfect place. It is always cold in there. So, I set him next to a new plant on one of the seven kitchen window sills (yep, seven windows in this kitchen). You know what- he bloomed. He bloomed like crazy. In fact, he is still blooming.

I feel like this is another life metaphor- perhaps.

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