orchids

PURPLE ORCHIDS REIGN O’ER THE TABLE – Marilyn Armstrong

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PURPLE ORCHIDS – September 27, 2019

So there I was loaded for bird.

Big camera with the 100-300 mm lens.

But — there were the orchids, looking totally gorgeous. How far could I back out of the room until I could actually get a focused picture of them within changing lenses? I’m so lazy about changing lenses!

I was halfway into the kitchen by the time I could focus!

Purple and very orchid

 

THE NEW LITTLE GARDEN – Marilyn Armstrong

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The New Little Garden – 09-13-2019

I wanted a new orchid. To bring in any new plant, I needed someplace to put them. Everything was on a leftover dining chair, a stool. There was one plant stand, but everything else was a piece of something I found somewhere in the house.

Overview

We have a dining room table that folds into three pieces, so it can be a relatively small table pushed against the wall or opened all the way, seat 8 people comfortably. When Garry brought home the new orchid, there was no more putting it off.

We settled for dropping one-third of it and pushing that end against the glass doors. I have been thinking of dropping another third until we need it, but I’m thinking about it. Meanwhile, there’s room for more plants. Not a lot more plants unless I hang some from the ceiling (which I might do).

THE PURPLE ORCHID – Marilyn Armstrong

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New Orchids in the Little Garden –  09/12/19

I couldn’t have hinted any louder and Garry got the point. Yesterday, he brought home a new set of orchids for me in a rich purple.

All the others were pink and I think one was white.

He brought me the purple ones. They have a few buds on them, so I hope to have them for a while.

My purple orchid

HAPPENSTANCE JUST HAPPENS – Marilyn Armstrong

/ Marilyn Armstrong / 18 Comments
RDP Wednesday – HAPPENSTANCE

It has been one of those weeks. We were supposed to go away at the end of the week to celebrate being alive and surviving this year, but happenstance really happened big-time. First, I got sick. I wasn’t sure I was sick until I talked to Cherrie and she had the same thing and then Garry came down with it. I guess that means I had something. It’s one of those stomach things, so it will go away pretty quickly (usually they only last a few days), so I’m not going running to the doctor for something that’s just “going around.”

As it happened, one of the people we would be have been visiting has to be in the hospital soon. People with contagious things don’t go visiting people who are having surgery soon. It’s just … well … rude. Unhealthy, too.

Then there’s the wall of the house. As concerned as I am about getting the insurance company to throw a few dollars our way (ONE year’s payment of our home insurance bill would more than cover the issue and we’ve been paying for a long, long time — 19 years on this house and 10 on the previous one — but they don’t “pay.” They collect.

Garry and Karin MacMillan

On the upside, Karin — who we were going to be visiting but now aren’t — dropped by this morning with her business partner and Garry got to jabber a bit and it was fun to actually have company. She commented that this is a really lovely area — which it really is. It’s a gorgeous area despite the terrible weather we’ve been having.

Owen then came over and put a new pillar under the back deck. The pillar is on cement, so it isn’t going to sink. It used to be attached to the house, but the attachment came loose. Propping it up seemed a better deal than getting a new deck. That’s a few thousand dollars and basically, there’s nothing wrong with this deck except that it has come unhitched from the house. Now, with a double-strong wooden pillar propping up that corner, it is unlikely to go anywhere. And he got the job done in under two hours. Go, Owen!

I’m still trying to get hold of the contractor. It’s a busy — SUPER busy — season for contractors. Not only is everyone desperate to get something fixed before winter drops by, but it’s hunting season. Big time. And contractors have an odd way of drifting away even when they are in the middle of a job. So I want him to come, but I have to cajole and coddle him. Can I bribe him with cookies?

And yesterday, because how loud can anyone hint before someone else gets the message, Garry bought me a brilliant purple orchid. Which meant rearranging the dining room by pushing the table against the French doors. We can use it as a sideboard if we are serving and everyone can drift off to eat wherever they are most comfy. And my flowers look so much better.

As it happens, happenstance won my day. I happened to have a new coffee machine because the old one croaked and new flowers to dream about. Garry feels a little better than yesterday and I don’t feel any worse, which is something.

THE LITTLE GARDEN – Marilyn Armstrong

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The Little Garden – September 2, 2019

Although you can’t see it at this angle, there’s a very big branch of not-yet-budding transparent or maybe white (hard to tell since they look so much alike) orchids growing out of this pot. It keeps getting bigger. I’m waiting for it to set buds, but so far, it’s just growing longer with more and more prongs that will set buds. It’s a rather big sprout and just keeps growing. So when it finally decides to bud and hopefully, bloom … I’ll let you see. Meanwhile, it’s just facing northeast and growing. About once a week, I give it some water.

But what is that wide-leaf green plant? Anyone know anything about it? It also has a young Philodendron growing in it.

The second photo is the philodendron which was looking sort of pale and listless. I stopped watering it as often — it was only every other week, but apparently, it was too much for this particular plant. Now, after a trim, because it was long enough to be constantly caught in the sink or dishes.

Nicely trimmed Philodendron

When it blooms and I really hope that turns out to be soon, I’ll flip it around so we can all actually see the flowers. Meanwhile, I call this my little garden. Just one pot. The ivy is now about 10-feet long and I have it wrapped around the pot. I don’t know the names of all the flowers in the pot either.

I’m good on the Orchids (which you can’t see, but trust me, they are here) and you can’t miss the ivy or the young Philodendron, but the big green flat-leaved plant? Anyone recognize it? If you do, tell me because I’d like to know too.