Wednesday, June 10, 2020

House Plant Challenge

You would think that coming from old farming roots, I would be able to grow plants and keep them alive. But as I have discovered, not everyone is born with a green thumb. I seem to have more success at killing house plants then keeping them alive.

My biggest ‘problem’ is finding a place to put them where they will get enough sunlight AND are inaccessible to the cats, who like to nibble on plants. And I 'try' to remember to water them on a regular basis but, quite clearly, I do not manage to accomplish that. I don’t want to make excuses for myself because they would all sound quite lame.

The first one was an orchid that was sent to the funeral home when my mother passed away by the ladies at the flower shop she used to work at. It was a lovely purple & white orchid. I went online and read about how to take care of orchids as I’d never had one before. I thought I was doing everything right. Sadly, it did not last long.

The second one was a spider plant given to me by a friend. It never really thrived in my house though. It was in my bedroom, high on top of a shelf with no direct sunlight coming in the window. It did last longer than the orchid but over this past winter, it declined rapidly and died. Big sigh.

The last one was a lovely white lily, dropped off at my front door by a local church group at Easter this year. I had planned to plant it outside when the weather got better but it snowed even in May here and the lily did not make it. The living room smelled so glorious when it was in full bloom. I’m not sure if the bulb can still be planted outside at this point. I may have to investigate that possibility.

I think that I’m going to have to stick to artificial flowers and plants inside my home from now on. They always look fabulous. They don’t require sunlight to thrive. They never need watering. They can survive any level of neglect. All you have to do is take them outside once in a while to shake off the dust. And the cats ignore them too.

Friday, June 5, 2020

Garden of Love - A Wall Hanging

A couple of years ago, while perusing through all the treasures at a local thrift store, I found this lovely quilted wall hanging. I was quite surprised to find such a marvelously, hand-crafted piece there. And it was only $2.50! Of course, it went straight into my cart and I purchased it along with a few other goodies I found that day.



Upon closer examination when I got home, I saw a hand written dedication. ' Garden of Love, machine created & quilted, by Jean E. Pracuta, 2013, to Cathy, thanks & 💗, from N.H. to Nfld.'

How did this get from New Hampshire or Newfoundland to a thrift store in Ontario? I bet this little wall hanging has a story to tell. Did it ever get to its intended recipient? And if it did, who would let let go of such a heart-felt gift? Did the recipient pass away and it got donated with the rest of the stuff her family did not want? Was there an irreparable rift between the friends, so bad that all reminders of the other were discarded? I will likely never know.

Close up of the pieced heart
I'm so glad that I found it that day, and brought it home. It now hangs on my bedroom wall above my bed. I thoroughly enjoy looking at it each day. A lot of care and effort went into making this and it is now in a place of honour where it is loved and appreciated.