I just got back from dropping Don off at the bus station. The two days went by too quickly, but we had a lovely time together and, weather permitting, I’ll try to get into the city at the end of the week. This life isn’t easy, but I hope we handle it with grace. I think we do.
I have a spider plant upstairs in the office that was a teeny-tiny grocery store rescue when I bought it a couple of years ago. It’s quite large now and very healthy. But it has never produced a baby. Every once in a while I tell the spider plant that it would be nice to see a little baby appear.
Well, look what I saw yesterday! A baby!
Just goes to show you that they hear us. Remember all those books in the seventies about talking to your plants? It may have been a fad, but I talk to mine all the time.
Speaking of grocery store rescues, I couldn’t get this little guy out of my mind – I’d seen it at our local store several times, so I swooped in today and brought it home. This photo makes it look larger than it is. I think it’s a peperomia. The leaves are succulent-like. I’ll look it up later today.
Don’s show starts previews on Friday. For those of you who are new to this, previews are performances (with a paying audience) while the play is not yet officially open. That means that while the cast is performing at night, the tech people, designers, director, choreographer, music director, and writers are watching and taking notes. Rehearsals are still going on each afternoon and those rehearsals are used to fix things, rehearse moments that need some tweaking, and make changes. Sometimes (this happened with Anastasia) the playwright(s) will rewrite scenes, add new scenes, and then ‘pages’ will be passed out to the actors which include those changes. Escape to Margaritaville will be previewing for a month and then it will officially open in March. So, though the cast is performing, the show is still not completely set. At some point, everyone involved will decide there are no more changes to be made and it will be ‘frozen.’
There you go.
Happy Tuesday.
Love spider plants, but I have no luck with them, even outside here. I do have lots of other plants that thrive, though. Are there any tricks to keeping them happy?
Glad you & Don had lovely time together.
They’re actually pretty low maintenance, but maybe they don’t do well in hot climates? I’m not sure.
They grow wild outside in FL. My neighbor has them as part of her ‘jungle’.
xo
I love seeing your plants. It makes me want to take home a few more myself. I already have what my husband calls “your indoor garden”. But we don’t have the sun you have in the winter. And I don’t have those lovely pots that you put your plants into.
Some of my pots are just plain old terra cotta pots!
It’s interesting learning about how the shows are put together. Maybe Margaritaville will come to Denver someday? I love seeing your plants, too. I’ve started a little collection, and I’m wondering, do you leave yours in the plastic containers for very long? (Looking at the last picture). I have some nice ceramic containers, but find that it’s hard to monitor the moisture in them. Maybe I should just leave mine in plastic and put them inside the ceramic. My mom had a ton of plants, but I never paid much attention to what she did:/
It will tour someday but any sort of tour won’t happen until it’s been on Broadway for a while. Sometimes I replace the pots if I have one on hand. Supposedly you’re supposed to replace the plastic pots, but what I usually do is wait until it’s grown bigger and it’s time to repot – then I replace the pot with something else. This one that I just got is new to me, so I’m going to wait and watch it for a while before I do anything.
thanks, Claudia;)
xo
Spider plants are terrific for “cleaning the air”. Since you have to keep your cottage closed up during the winter months, having as many green plants as you do surely improves your indoor air quality.
Sansevierias are excellent at cleaning the air and I have a 40 year old one in my kitchen. That baby is doing major work around here.
There is so much to know about the world of Theatre that the average person doesn’t know. I am fortunate in that my mother took us to many live performances in NYC growing up – – Westside Story, Annie, The Lion King, The Nutcracker, Shenandoah to name a few, and loved them so. The old Papermill Playhouse was one of my favorites. It’s fun to learn what goes into productions such as this, it’s a lot of work many of us are never aware of.
There’s a lot that people aren’t aware of – just like any job, I suppose. Most people just see the end result but don’t see all the work that has gone into it and is still going into it.
I’m happy Don could get away for a bit and enjoy his home. He may have had a day or two off in the city but you really need to get away to have a total break. People around here were talking about a book about how much trees actually communicate. I didn’t read it but it sounded pretty amazing. The title was something about the language of trees. I think there is more to life than we see ourselves. Happy day to you,
Eileen
How many house plants do you have, lol!
About 12. Not many at all.
I have that book. It’s The Hidden Life of Trees. I haven’t read it yet. There’s a new one by the same author: The Hidden Life of Animals. They’re in my To Be Read pile of books. Much love to you, cousin.
glad for you and don to have time together … and more soon!
i am a bit jealous of your “green thumb”, but shouldn’t be … i am sure you’ve taken time to learn about your plants and you obviously tend them well. plants are doing better at my new place (so am i), with the mostly-west-facing windows, but i tend to over- or under-water plants, so just stick with the easiest plants i can find and stick to a small number of them.
happy tuesday. feels like a good day for cookies. :)
kathy in iowa
Better to underwater and watch the plant to see if if shows you it needs more water.
There is so much more to communication than the words we speak which you are surely more aware of than many of us due to your work,Claudia. And we know,as we talk with our beloved dogs. Surely your plants are loving your nourishing energy messages.
Thank-you again Claudia for your compassion
Yes. There is an energy and intelligence beyond what we can see or experience with our senses. That’s for sure. Thinking of you, Grace. xoxo
I totally believe about talking to plants!
and lordy lordy. I think constant change of lines would be the most frustrating thing.
it’s hard enough to commit to memory all those lines and movements I would think!
then to just get them down pat and have to remember a lot of new changes.
aaaggh! as Lucy says in Charlie Brown! xo
They’re used to it. They have to learn lines quickly and learn new lines just as quickly. It’s just part of the job!
I have a spider plant that was gorgeous and then all of a sudden it just decided it wanted to die. I was able to rescue one of the babies and it is now doing well. I have been giving it a lot of encouragement. I don’t have a lot of natural light in my small apartment so I have to experiment a lot. It can be frustrating at times. Glad you and Don were able to have a couple of days at home together. xo Laura
You don’t have to give them a lot of water, Laura. But everyone’s light and watering conditions are different. Glad the baby is doing well!
Spider plants are so kind because they don’t require much pampering at all. I had mine outside all summer and brought it in for the winter and it has done just fine. (Congratulations on the baby!!) I’m a firm believer in always starting out by under-watering until you learn what your particular plant likes. By starting with 3-5 days between watering ~ and they will truly show you what will work best for them ~ if they need more or less watering, you will be able to tell by their leaves, if they look like they are wilting or not. I have a Hibiscus I bring in every winter and it needs water every other day, while most of my other plants can go 5-6 days inside before watering. I think when we over-water is when we get some insect/ mite issues going on. I talk to my plants like I talk to the 2 dogs and the cat. We are all one family!! (Hubs talks to the dogs & cat, too, but I have never seen him conversing with the plants).
So glad Don had a short reprieve at home. I’m sure he needs to recharge, and being amongst all he loves certainly is a big part of the process. Did he take some cookies back with him? They will help this busy week, too. Hope you can get into the city for a few days, also. Enjoy your Tuesday, Claudia!!
Always better to underwater. Let it dry out and then watch it to see what it needs. In the winter, I often go at least a week without watering. The pilea needs watering more frequently, as does the little maidenhair vine in the living room. Everything else, at least a week between waterings. Summer is different, of course. And the big old sansevieria can go 2 or 3 weeks between watering and it will be just fine.
I’m glad that Don had this time at home. Energize him for this last push! Your plants are amazing. I think they are your new ‘pets’ right now. I talk to the cat but not my plants, maybe I should share my conversations with both! Hugs!
They are. I’ve always had houseplants, of course, but this year I’ve been adding to my regular brood and I’m enjoying it. I need to nurture things, whether it’s a dog or a houseplant or my birds at the birdbath or the garden.
Good morning Claudia. I talk to my plants too as I am placing them in the daylight. Of course I also talk to myself! Glad you had a nice visit with your hubby.
I talk to myself, too! Glad I’m not the only one!
Glad Don got to have a few days at home. How long will Marguarita be playing in NYC?
Judy
Broadway sometimes has limited runs, but all shows that open on Broadway want to run for a long time. Depends on ticket sales.
I’m going to be in NYC in July with Tiffany for a wedding. Don’t know how long we will be there or what nights the show runs. Will be checking in with you.
Happy Belated Valentines!!
Judy
Same to you, Judy.
That’s interesting. I always thought theater previews were sort of the “focus groups” of the theater world. I thought the audiences were observers who then got quizzed for their opinions on A, B & C. But now it sounds like audience reactions are paid attention to, but that no actual questioning is done. Really interesting. A good idea too. Must be a major help to the director & other creative staff especially. I wonder if they get any kind of vibes on how successful the play will be from previews. They must, right? Peace.
#Resist
#ProtectMueller
If you shaped a play according to quizzes on the audience reactions, you’d be in trouble. Too subjective. You can’t shape a creation according to audience reactions, whether it’s a painting or a book or a sculpture or a ballet.
On the other hand, if a line is consistently getting a laugh when it should, great. If it never gets the hoped-for laugh, then it’s time to rewrite. Hope that makes sense.
I watched “CBS Sunday Morning” this week and they showed a preview of Don’s show because they are profiling Jimmy Buffet next week. I saw Don and thought, “Hey I know him!” Then realized not really, but it was still fun!
Well, you sort of know him!
Claudia,
You and others have inspired me to try another spider plant. Apropos of your deciding to try to get too much news negativity (do I have that right) out of your life, I subscribe to this blog and thought the information in this post might be helpful. If not, and you’re bothered by it, I apologize in advance.
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/10/07/how-big-is-your-circle-of-control/
Thanks, Cara. I’ll leave it here for my readers. xo
Oh, I do hope you can get back to the city later this week. I had a peperomia that I accidentally planted with other plants, not realizing it was a succulent. Basically, I drowned it…oops. They are darling plants, and with my new knowledge, should do just fine when I try again. I haven’t had an air plant for quite some time…I might have to try one.
And yes…I do talk to my plants…I’ve named some of them, too. I think they appreciate the conversation….they are all doing really well. You have quite a collection of pots…beautiful ones, too, I might add. I have one pot that I’ve had since the 70’s…and a couple of my mom’s from the 60’s. But, I’m always on the hunt for more. Enjoy your day! ;)
Well, collecting McCoy Pottery helps – there’s often one or two on hand that I can use for a new plant. And of course, I love the Guy Wolff pots.
That is such a pretty blue pot. Is it McCoy? Love the pattern and the color.
Yes, McCoy. It helps that I have a collection of McCoy. I just pulled it out of the china cabinet in the kitchen.
Thanx for explaining about previews; very interesting and helpful to those of us not familiar with Broadway shows and how they get off the ground.
You’re welcome!
Those plants are lovely. You are blessed with a green thumb.
Marilyn
Thank you, Marilyn.
Just curious, are the tickets less expensive before the official opening?
I know nothing about the ticket prices for this show. On some shows, they are less expensive, on others, they’re the same price. Just depends.
I remember those books about talking to your plants and yes I still do it…Just like Daisy Gamble…talk and sing to them…lol…also talk to my cats and yes to myself…anyway…I just love that blue McCoy pot and I love rescuing half dead plants and bringing them back to life!…I do hope the weather co-operates so you can go off on a visit to Don this coming weekend…
I love rescuing plants, too! And dogs.