oh, also, I grow things now

when I was a little girl, there were fewer pleasures more dear to me than my Nanny’s garden. She was British, a war bride, and her gardens were true English Country style - very organized but made to look haphazard, and lush without being overgrown yet still retaining some wildness. She had all the flowers from that song - daffodils and hollyhocks, bluebells, foxgloves, lillies, snowdrops. She also had snapdragons, violets, pansies, a huge lilac bush almost 8 feet tall, geraniums, marigolds, forget-me-nots, crocuses, hyacinths, and a wondrous patch of four-leaf clovers that grew every year. But her true pride and joy were her roses. They were glorious. She used to clip them and put them in her brandy snifters in the house, and when they were almost totally deflated she would take the petals and press them between her fingers to get the oil out, then rub it on her cheeks to make her skin soft. She always smelled like roses in the summer months.

My Nanny had two green thumbs, that’s for sure. She could make anything grow. I used to wander in her garden, sit by the flowers I liked best, daydream and read my books. It was the meaning of peacefulness to my 10 year-old heart.

I did not inherit my Nanny’s ability to grow things. I always loved plants and flowers, but I sure couldn’t grow them. I had catci that I killed for christ sake!

But, I am happy to announce that for almost two months now, I have been growing two plants. One is a gorgeous Aloe Vera plant, and the other is a Beautiful Unidentified Cute Little Green and White Leafy plant. I had the Aloe plant in the window, but pretty little mean Kissy cat liked to rub up against its spiky leaves and bite them, so I had to rescue little Aloe and move her to a higher location. Now her teeth mark holes are all gone and she is looking lovely!!! She has already grown two new spiky leaf thingies! My other plant was quite small when I got him, but he is doing very very well now and has probably doubled in size!!!  However, the new growing isn’t entirely flawless - my African Violet isn’t doing as well as the others. Still, though, I haven’t managed to kill her yet, so I’m still counting the whole endeavour as a smashing success!

So, to those of you who know me, and know of my former ineptitude with green leafy chlorophyll producing things, I say - HA! I am now a Plant Growing Goddess!