houseplants — Page 12

A Hurried Tuesday Post

January 23, 2018 at 10:41 am by Claudia

I’m writing this in a hurry! My host has been having server problems for the past three days, which leaves me unable to access the blog for hours at a time. They’re working on it, of course, but my patience is wearing thin. This is normally not a problem – my hosting service is pretty darned excellent. But if you have problems getting on the blog, that’s why. Hang in there! (I say this to myself, as well.)

The drive home from the city was very easy. I think my uneasiness about it was due to the fact that I hadn’t done it in a long while. It was a piece of cake. I made good time and was home by 11 am. It’s been raining heavily since yesterday afternoon, so I didn’t come home to sunny skies, but then again, it’s raining in the city as well.

I went back to The Sill on Sunday to buy another ZZ plant for my desk upstairs in the office. And then I saw this:

It’s a sansevieria (there are several different varieties.) I fell in love with the spiky cylindrical leaves. They aren’t flat like the sansevieria I have in the kitchen. They’re puffy cylinders and I’m fascinated by the way the new shoots grow. Don was equally fascinated so he got one for the apartment.

I’m waiting for a break in the rain to run to the grocery store. That’s my exciting agenda for the day. It’s good to be home but I’d like some sun, please!

Selfie in Central Park.

Happy Tuesday.

On Sunday

January 14, 2018 at 10:13 am by Claudia

Good morning. I’m moving slowly because I slept in. It seems that the older I get, the more a change in my normal routine seems to throw me ever-so-slightly off for the rest of the day. Grateful to have caught up on some sleep, of course, but I’m just a wee bit behind.

It’s turned very cold again here and will be for the next 3 days or so.

But it’s sunny! Yesterday’s dire predictions for ice and a wintry mix changed around noon and the sun came out. Immediately, my mood lifted. The sun makes an enormous difference, especially when you feel a bit housebound.

I just noticed how tall the new growth on this ZZ plant has become. Goodness! I love these hardy houseplants – any plant that survives in the shadows of the den is a winner in my book. I’m going to buy one more for my office.

A closer look at the top of the new shoot. I love the glossy, thick leaves.

We watched The Darkest Hour last night. It’s the story of a few weeks in 1940 when Winston Churchill became Prime Minister. Riveting. Gary Oldman is brilliant as Churchill. I learned a lot, as there was much I didn’t know about that particular time and its challenges for Churchill and Great Britain. I recommend it highly.

In a rare instance for us, we watched about 20 minutes of Mudbound before we turned to each other and said, “Let’s stop.” There were too many directorial ‘devices’ and screenplay problems that didn’t work and were annoying. Every time yet another character became a narrator, we groaned. So we moved on. I’m sure some of you have seen it and liked it and that’s great. And I’m sure there’s solid acting. But we weren’t in the mood to put up with the rest of it to get there. It just wasn’t our cup of tea.

So far, our favorites are The Shape of Water, The Darkest Hour, and Get Out; each of them completely different, but all of them brilliant and inspired.

Oh! Forgot to add – we enjoyed I, Tonya, as well. It’s darkly funny and very well done by all. Allison Janney is wonderful.

Today? I might get out there and do something, but only if we can get rid of the ice surrounding my car. The warm weather melted a lot of snow and ice and then the sudden very cold weather promptly froze it all.

Happy Sunday.

A Slow Saturday

January 13, 2018 at 9:14 am by Claudia

We’re due for a yucky day today: rain which will turn into ice and a bit of snow. There are winter weather advisories up.

Can I just go back to bed?

The snow on the ground that you can see through the window is gone now, due to higher temperatures and a heck of a lot of rain yesterday. Fear not, we’re due for more mid-week. Note to self: take price tag off pot.

This is what happens when you bring your big old porch plant inside for the winter. I’ve forgotten what this is – a dracaena? an unknown grass? – but I’ve had it in this pot for several years and I bring it inside every winter. It’s become so big that I can no longer just stash it on the floor in the office. So it’s in the hallway. There are self-seeded impatiens surrounding it at the base. Hopefully, they’ll bloom at some point this winter.

The contents of the cupboard in the office. There’s some Roseville, some McCoy, an old candy box which holds letters sent to my grandmother by her adored little sister, who died in the flu epidemic of 1918. (She lost another sister as well.) Let’s see, what else? Some glove boxes, some little pieces of pottery, a mug given to me by Christy, aka Anastasia, a putz sheep and two spun cotton bunnies made by Vintage by Crystal. Oh, and some crystal bunnies and a puff made by a former blogger who does beautiful work.

I took this yesterday as I sat at the desk for a spell, due to a desire to change it up a bit. The den seems to be my home lately, but too much familiarity can breed contempt, you know? Anyway, I hung the newest Nutting up in the office – I’ll take a picture of it today – and I putzed around that space, listening to the Kenny Rankin channel on Pandora.

Happy Saturday.

A Hurried Tuesday Post

On Sunday

A Slow Saturday

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Archives