On the Cusp

Happy March, dear readers! I know a few people who feel as if February is the worst and longest month of the year in spite of its fewer days, but for me, February is usually just a flash of a moment between the dullness of January and the promise of spring that March holds. Undoubtedly, we Ohioans are still in for some cold temperatures this month - it was 28° when Lu woke me up this morning - but we are beyond the worst (usually), my grumpiness is fading, and I’m nurturing a guarded optimism! Hallelujah!

It has been a busy week. My mom has had some concerning health issues which I’ve had to attend to, and for once in the 14 months I’ve held my current job, I’ve actually had things to work on for an entire week straight. Add in the exciting things happening that I alluded to last week and I’ve been hopping! It’s been a really good kind of busy though, so I am very grateful. It wouldn’t have seemed like so much had I not had the first shot in the shingles vaccine series on Tuesday. When they said a side effect could be fatigue, they weren’t kidding. That, and it felt nearly all week like I’d been thumped in the arm with a shovel. It was almost worse than the early Covid vaccines. Almost.

I bring up the new things happening to support my assertion of busyness, yet I must apologize that I am still not quite ready to publicize things. I think I am wired to err on the side of caution, especially after having endured the unexpected a few years ago. I must confess, I’m beginning to think that my ego is more in play here than I would like to admit. To say something exciting is coming and then to have to back away from that statement is somehow preferable than to share all of the details with enthusiastic, yet unacceptable amounts of over-punctuation and ALL CAPS delight while there is a possibility, however remote, that it will all go sideways.

I’m hoping by next week, I’ll have breaking news.

In the meantime, another gift of the Universe to brighten my existence has arrived in the form of blooms on my two moth orchids. Over the years, they have been partially responsible for seeing me through many hard times. These blooms are an unexpected treat, as I just repotted them late last year and they typically would not bloom afterwards for some time. Yet both of them, in what seems like a coordinated plan, sprouted bloom stalks in record time, post-transplant. The one in the picture I’ve shared above was a gift from my daughter for Mother’s Day, many years ago. Often, people like to think that growing orchids is difficult, but these moth orchids are as easy as can be. As long as you find them a window they like (here, it is an east-facing window), and throw a little water on them once a week, they mind themselves. I can’t say the same for my noble dendrobrium orchid I’ve had for going on 7 years and which hasn’t bloomed since the ones fell off it after I bought it. If you have any tips for that type of orchid, I’m all ears.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you stick around for next week’s installment where I’m confident I will have so much to tell you!

XX

If you are so inclined, you can buy me a coffee. You do not need to have an account in order to use the link. You will also have my undying gratitude. ❤️