R E F L E C T I O N S

Helping to Pack Fun with Dad

I bought these beautiful succulents hoping to plant them in my terrarium.  They were the smallest plants the store had, small enough to fit.  When I looked for advice on the web about terrariums and succulents I learned that you can do it but it's not such a good idea.  I know I should have done more research before buying the plants.  I was just too eager to get started. I learned the reason why succulents are not so good in terrariums is because they require a dryer atmosphere with air circulation.  The terrarium is damp and closed in.  If I use the succulents it might still work out, at least for several months.  But I want a longer life without watching the plants die. I fell in love with these plants and did not have the heart to return them. Besides, they only cost about three dollars each.   While I was at the store I bought a bag of colorful stones for ...

My brother-in-law gave my wife a beautiful flower arrangement, which came in a nicely shaped glass container.  It was for mother's day.  It's perfect for a terrarium, so I want to give it a try.  I found an ideal place for it on my desk. The image above is from the net.  Looks like there are too many plants crowded into a small space but I'm sure it's just for demonstration. Here's my container: It's not very large, just over 6 inches tall and 4 inches wide at the bottom and top to 6 inches at the widest: When it's finished I'll place it near the clock on my desk somewhere: I found these directions: But how do I find plants I like that are small enough and won't grow too much? That's the hard part. Maybe I'll have to try something on this photo: To me they all look too large to fit.  Maybe it will be better to use only one plant or even smaller plants than the ones in the photo...

Time for breakfast.  He's a good bunny, never eats the flowers. Here's another view.

Lynette is sure she did not plant this Lily behind the Poker plants.  Maybe it was the wind carrying the seeds.  Maybe it was a squirrel.

While looking through some old boxes, putting things in order, I found this old copy of the Desiderata. " Desiderata  (Latin: "desired things") is a 1927  prose poem  by American writer  Max Ehrmann . Largely unknown in the author's lifetime, the text became widely known after its use in a devotional and after spoken-word recordings in 1971 and 1972."     ~Wikipedia It must have made a strong impression on me because it's been in the box for over 30 years.  It still has great meaning for me. Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, ...

Yesterday my wife Lynette planted flowers in the pot I had planted my baby tree. I found it on the ground before she could sweep it away and planted it back in the flower pot.  I hope it still has a chance.

I found this plant growing in one of my empty pots.  Last year I found the same type of plant growing in a crack between the bricks of my front stoop.  I made the mistake of trying to transplant it into a pot.  It wilted and died. Notice the three clover plants in the background on the right side.  I didn't notice them until I transferred the photo to this post.  They'er beautiful. The plant is only about two and a half inches tall. This time I'm going to leave it alone and see what happens.

Usually I plant tomatoes, sometimes zucchini and cucumbers.  This year just after my back surgery for the second time and spending the month of March in the hospital with acute respiratory failure, meningitis, anemia, etc.; I was just not up to gardening.  Hopefully next year will be different. My wife Lynette planted sunflower seeds to fill up the empty space in the vegetable garden.  At first the birds would eat the seeds as soon as she planted them.  So she used a wire screen to cover the ground until the plants sprouted. I'll write a post when they bloom.

We don't sit there anymore; not sure why.  Someday I'll have to use them again.  They look good under the trees. Here's a handsome spider outside my back door.  I wonder if it's poisonous.

I woke at 6 AM today without the alarm. Usually I get up at 7:30.  This makes it 6 and a half hours of sleep instead of the usual 8 hours. Falling asleep is no problem for me and I take a half hour nap in the afternoon. To decide if I should always get up at 6 AM or go back to getting up at 7:30; I checked  the web for information. On the the web I found this table: Eight hours seems to be a midpoint.  Now if I set the alarm to 7 AM I'll get 7 and a half hours of sleep.  If I set it at 7:30 I'll get 8 hours. I'm going to leave the alarm set to 7:30 but if I get up before the alarm I'll stay up.  This will make it 8 hours or less sleep. Sometimes I get a little compulsive.

This morning when I checked the apple seed pot I saw 3 small growths of what I thought were sprouts.  They were tiny mushrooms!  They were growing right where I had planted the seeds.  Does this mean the seeds are dead? Here is a closeup.   When I first saw them they were standing erect.  After breakfast I took these photos.  They had all fallen over. Later, in the afternoon I saw they had all withered and died.  So maybe my apple seeds still have a chance.  I'll have to wait and see.