Wednesday, July 15, 2009

If it's not attached to me, I'll lose it...

I lose things. Most times, they reappear. Sometimes, they go down the drain.

Literally.

Lost my office badge today. Actually, I managed to flush it down the toilet. Really. How embarrassing. It fell off my pants just as I hit the handle. Whoosh. Gone. I had to explain this to the nice IT guy who, I think, thought I was kidding. I got out of the teasing by promising to make him peanut butter cookies.

The other night, at the glass studio, my instructor gave me a small piece of glass to use on a new technique she showed me. I brought it over to my station, put it down, lit my torch. And couldn't find the small piece of glass. After I obtained another piece of glass, then I found my first piece of glass. Sheesh.

This morning, I was looking for stamps. Couldn't find them. I know I have them; I bought some recently. But I'll probably end up buying more stamps before I find the ones I already have.

I often misplace my cell phone. I use my landline phone to call my cell phone so I can find it. And keys...don't get me started about the keys. I carry two set of keys most times. When I misplace my main set of keys, I can pull out the backup set and at least get to where I need to go on time. BUT, this arrangement is fraught with peril. There are keys in the main set that I can't duplicate for the back up set. Makes me nervous.

If I could, I'd put locator chips in all items that I carry with me. This way, I'd be able to find the item I want, when I want it.

Till then, I just hope that the gnomes that take my stuff when I'm not looking (that's my theory about the items that go missing and then suddenly reappear) will eventually let me alone.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

More plants than I know how to handle

One of my very favorite plant stores is Logee's in Danielson, CT. I recently took a friend of mine there and of course, of course, I purchased more plants.

Now, the plants from Logee's are typically house plants. Their specialty is tropical container plants. Living in Zone 5, these plants usually spend their lives indoors. Logee's is a very special place, in my opinion. You drive up to an unassuming house and wonder...is this the right place? But, then you walk through the building to the back door and into a series of greenhouses that include a 107 year old Ponderosa lemon tree.

Spending a couple of hours at Logee's is like walking through a rain forest, especially in the summer. The place is wall to wall plants, with narrow walkways where you often have to push through an abundance of foliage.

I love the place. Plants are in bloom all year round--everywhere you turn, there's another fascinating plant to examine (and buy!).

This time around, I came home with three plants...a Gardenia with varigated leaves which I brought into the office, Michelia Figo, which has flowers that smell like ripe bananas, and some other mystery plant (I forget its name) which is supposed to have lovely yellow flowers.

Of course, the problem is that I know have to keep track of more plants that require watering and feeding. And, although you get to see prime examples of what the plants look like when they're blooming, the plants you purchase are typically not at that point. So, you need to nurture and hope for the best.

Or, wait for them to die. Poor little green things...I'm not always the best caretaker. Although, I did learn that putting a plant in pot that's too big can lead to the soil retaining too much moisture which will lead to root rot. A mistake I think I've made in the past. Thus, I'm a bit more optimistic that my new green friends will fare better than their predecessors.

Now, if I'll just remember to water them on time!