Archive for December, 2009

I recently received my January 2010 Better Homes and Garden magazine. As I was browsing the pages I came across an article on Orchids. Off I went to see how my Den Burana (Pink) is fairing this winter. It looks healthy enough but I realized that I need to give it some TLC. And in pondering my replanting venture I decided to do a bit of research. I am a bit intimidated when working with orchids. They seem like they need a load of effort. But! This article inspired me to go ahead and try again. If you would like to try an orchid on your window sill this winter here are a few tips I gleaned from this article.

Water and Fertilizer:
Orchids need to dry out completely before watering each time. The article recommends “orchid fertilizer” but I confess I use my usual plant food. After comparing the ingredients on fertilizers I find that many repeat the ingredients. The important thing is to water and fertilize regularly. But a word of caution here, more is not is better. Over watering and over fertilizing will only defeat your goal.

Repotting:
The recommendation is every 1-2 years repot with new medium preferably bark or moss. This is a good medium and I always put small rocks or glass beads in the bottom tray for interest and drainage. And while we are at it, every 1-2 years is good for all houseplants. Orchids are famous for those long stalks that need to have a stems staked so that the flowers can show off.

Orchids can tolerate low humidity and thrive in light from the east or south. I have mine sitting on the window sill in my laundry room that gets the morning sun.

If you want to try your hand at orchids here are a few orchids that are good suggestions: Nun’s orchids, Cattleya hybrids, Lady Slippers and Moth orchids. For more information and interactive conversation about orchids Better Homes and Gardens has a great link at www.BHG.com/easyorchids. If you already grow orchids I would love to hear what you have and how they are fairing.

The best present I got this year for the Holidays was that I finally finished up the math I was working on to get my degree. If you have been with me since 2008 you know I have struggled beyond words to accomplish this task in general education to declare my History major. To struggle through algebra and calculus was one of the hardest things I have done in my life.

Math is not one of those things that I am even remotely good at. At least not this kind. I freaked out when I had to learn about “henrys” (units of electrical measure) but this year took me over the top with factorials, square roots and 1 “choose” something or another. It was like learning a foreign language. But I held on because history is the one thing I totally enjoy and I knew if I could do the math I could move forward and do what I wanted to do.

What I didn’t expect when I finally accomplished this major task in life was how it would effect my self confidence. I feel like I am not even the same person I was when I started this journey and that I can and will accomplish things that I never thought possible. It has opened up my self confidence in ways I never knew were in me.

This was something I needed to do form. My going back to school to do what I wanted to do has been a milestone. After the kids are grown, after all the things that needed to get done in life get done, then it is “me” time. And I am so glad I did it.

And so I have three weeks off now until I go back to finish up. I am going to enjoy the accomplishment by spending time with my husband who has stuck by me through thick and thin while I fought through math and supported me the whole way.

Finally friendly bloggers I can do what I want to do! So the first thing I did was buy myself a red cashmere cardigan for the Holidays to make me feel oh so good. Because as all women know, I am worth it!