Let's Brighten Things Up

Yes I grow Lantana indoors. Why should Arizona gardeners have all the fun?

* cough, cough, splutter, splutter * 

Dusting off the old blog, haven't visited for quite some time. Clearly suffering from neglect. I realize the blog is online - relieved to see it's still here! But reality is for those who lack imagination.

To me - the blog feels like it's an old library.  

Maybe this one. ↓  No, not this one. Too Downton Abby.

Maybe this one? ↓

No, that's been done.

How about this one? ↓

Yeah, yeah, ↑ that's it!

Revisiting this little blog of mine. Which is not little. Been writing in it for 16 flower-filled years. Albeit sporadically of late...

In my head, the blog feels like a Sherlock Holmes kind of old English library. Filled with dusty books. And terrific ideas. Coupled with all kinds of bad ideas. Because. Well. You know... sometimes those truly fantastic ideas of ours don't exactly turn out the way we want them to.

Kalanchoe in the kitchen window

Whatever the case, visiting the blog always inspires a fine trip down memory lane. Revisiting the years when I was happy. 

I’m not unhappy right now. Truth be told, one must work extra hard to make me unhappy. 

However! I should give credit where credit is due. A nod to the foot soldiers working diligently to ruin most of last year. Succeeding in their attempts to drive me crazy and make me sad. 2022 was a ghastly year. < See? I even sound like Sherlock Holmes.

This is a naturally turning red Poinsettia. Have owned her for 4 years
And she NEVER turns red in time for Christmas. :)

Does anyone but me feel like we need to work extra hard to remain happy these days?

Work hard. Or remain oblivious. Avoiding the news at all costs. Constantly taking a deep breath while some person around us, oftentimes a total stranger, is throwing a temper tantrum?

'Christmas' Cactus started blooming in October. Still going strong.

It’s infectious, you know. Bad moods. Bad attitudes. 

But this is a New Year. 

And this  ↓↓↓ is why I’m here: Grey. 

To me, the prevalence of Grey in our choices during 2022 [the top 10 paint choices were various shades of grey] speaks volumes as to how we feel. Which is not good. And certainly not calm.

I personally think we need a whole lot more color in our lives. 

Whatever happened to sunny yellow?

Every windowsill needs at least one Orchid

When did we stop loving Outrageous Orange?

Hibiscus happily blooms indoors.

Be honest. Wouldn't your morning coffee be more fun if you were surrounded Hot Cha Cha Pink?

Christmas Cactus can live for a 100 years! I can attest to that!
Have owned this pretty girl since my college days!

Happiness is what I was thinking about, last night, while standing in the garden. 

Bundled in my winter coat. Wildflowers soundly sleeping beneath mountains of snow. At 1 a.m. (?!?) I’m old, now. FYI - I’m as surprised as you are. That I not only welcomed in the New Year. That I did so outside. In the snow! In freezing temperatures! And that I did NOT do that at 10 p.m. – as I would normally do. Because I don’t typically care when the balls drop. Or where it drops. 

What I do care about it is The Truth of The Matter: Color makes people happy. Flowers make people happy. FYI - Grey is also a popular color choice when painting prison cells. 

So let's brighten things up! If you don't have a sunny window, get yourself a grow light. You'd be surprised how many pretty flowers you can grow indoors. And. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. Is guaranteed to make you smile.

Happy New Year, Gardeners. Let's make it a colorful one.