How the minutes get away from us! I had intended on writing a Not Ten on Tuesday post way back on Tuesday and while I didn't think I would come up with 10 things in the way I wanted it to look in my mind (you know, no pictures), I was surprised how quickly I came up with ten things that are red that I like. They aren't in any way original, but here are a few things I might have listed if I'd had the photos to go with the ideas.
- Gillian's hair. Not ten seconds after she slipped into this world all gangly, pale, and nearly bald, my cousin (my labor coach and a red head) squeeled, "She's got red haya!" You have to know her and our area. It's a part of New England where the letter r is used sparingly. I'll never forget hearing it.
Here she is, with me back when I was a blonde.
Oh look, there is a photo.
- After I thought of my red things I went and read some of the other lists and found that we all like the same red things. Mostly. I know that once this post is read everyone will wish they had put Gillian's hair on their lists, but ha, ha! I get to and you don't!
- I though about how much I love cardinals especially in the snow and that was on a few lists and I didn't have a photo so I wasn't going to add it until my friend Mary Lu posted this photo on facebook. So I stole it.
- And then there is the post I've been writing in my head every time I look at my Amaryllis. I love those flowers, they bring a gush of color to my kitchen every year and I usually have several going, all at different phases of growth. I've had years when my plants had so many multiple blooms that the weight of them was hard to combat. All the staking and tying up in the world was barely enough and they were amazing to behold! I had one year that I tried to re-bloom the previous year's bulbs. That was not a success. Seriously, the plants are not so expensive that I needed to do that, I just thought I'd try it. My mom could have done it. She can grow anything just by thinking in its direction. Plants respond to her. Any plants that thrive around me usually do so despite any of my efforts, but I currently have a few green plants holding their own and I have more wins than losses with winter bulbs. And now there is this year.
I started this plant on Thanksgiving weekend and it only bloomed this week. It is nearly the slowest growing Amaryllis I've ever had. Nearly. This stalk has three great blooms and there is another promising stalk working its way up, but they were all a long time coming. I can't figure what the difference is this year except that to me the house seems colder this year. Could be it. I did say nearly, though, didn't I?
I started these two on Christmas Eve. I'd about given up on them, but when I went to chuck them in the rubbish they suddenly....well, maybe not so suddenly were showing signs of life. Maybe it was me that suddenly noticed, sort of like watching grass grow, but slower. Or seeing that your kid has bigger feet. You weren't looking and WHAM! there she is crying and crying and you can't figure out why, because she is the one that never cries and maybe you should take her to the doctor, but she doesn't have a fever and yet, that is what you do when she cries because if she cries then she is definitely sick. Then you take her shoes off and she gets up and toddles away contentedly and you feel like the worst mother EVER! and it turns out that you aren't yet. In fact, you will do a bunch of other stupid things to seal the title, you're just a step on the way. It could be I'm better with the Amaryllis, but that kid? I bought her many pairs of new shoes and now she is the one growing a human and she'll do stupid things and think she is the worst mother in the world. Anyway, slow going it is, but it is going so I'm giving these bulbs a little more time. I've moved them closer to the heat and hopefully that super charges them.
- There are also the red roses I got for Valentine's Day, but in the business of this day I didn't get a photo, maybe tomorrow. During the blizzard.
- Hope you all had someone to love today. It's easy to forget all the people that really do love you and that you love. Well not forget, but take for granted in a little way. While I'm aware of that every day and make an effort to be appreciative of all of them, it is nice to have a day devoted to just saying, "I love you. Be mine!" Consider that from me to you.
Ten. I just reminded myself that maybe a purchase from Amaryllis.com is in order. Not enough blooming things around here! Except when Meg shows up. She is really BLOOMING!
