A little of this, A little of that

Now is not the time to mention the “s” word.  Nobody wants to hear it!  We have received and read the garden catalogs.  We have ordered new plants for the garden.  We ARE SO READY!

Now I remember my grampa’s advice.  Don’t plant anything before Memorial Day or you will be sorry.  Patience is not one of my virtues. What to do now that my green thumb is itching?  I guess I can repot my house plants which have kept me happy over the winter.  It is messy indoors, but I have a broom and dust pan.  What could go wrong?

I have 17 plants in my two small southern windows, I have 13 plants in my east window, and six plants in my west window.  If you have picture windows, some very large windows or even a wall of windows, I am not sure that we can be friends.  Window envy on my part would get in the way.  Thirty six plants would seem like a lot, but I would prefer 50.  Actually a greenhouse and a potting shed are on my bucket list.  My husband has a long list of things  we don’t need.  My greenhouse and cute potting shed with a window and a shutters is on his list.  You can see this problem and know that never, ever will I get my way unless I win the lottery.

My grandmother’s advice to count my blessings constantly haunts me. During the pandemic, apartment dwellers and the rest of us spent $8.5 billion on gardening-related items in 2020 than we did in 2019.  I bet some very lucky person got a greenhouse and cute potting shed from her generous, loving husband.  A grateful wife is a wondrous addition to any home.

According to research done by experts, I swear I am not making this up, there are five health benefits of houseplants.  Melinda Knuth, an assistant Professor of Horticulture Science at North Carolina State University claims: they soothe our stress, they sharpen our attention so that we can concentrate better, speed up healing, they can boost our happiness, and they brighten up our indoor life by making us less depressed and anxious. 

I am not making selfish demands of my husband, I am concerned about his health and avoiding expensive hospital bills, just like a good wife would do!!!  One way to my husband’s heart is through his stomach.  So after I repot the plants and clean up the kitchen, I plan to cook this for dinner.