HOUSEPLANTS AND SOUL FOOD

Plants flourish when they are loved, nourished and properly cared for.  However, sometimes the exact combination of elements needed for a particular plant baffles us.  After all there is so much to consider...the PH of the soil, how much to water, temperature tolerance, sunlight requirements, when to fertilize and on and on.  Geezzz Louise.... That's why it always seemed to me that plastic was the better option when it came to indoor foliage.

But when I met Suzy...well, she had REAL plants... I mean real living (have to water them) plants in her house.  They were gorgeous, and I loved them....(there entered a little houseplant envy.)

I asked her how she did it and she confided to me the secret of her success:

"I put them in the dirt and water them."

Oh.....really!  :o

And that's when I decided that I too would give live houseplants a try.

In the years that followed, my house plant skills waxed and waned.  Some began well enough, but soon and sadly, became what Suzy and I would affectionately call the STICK PLANTS.  

                                               

Most of the time would not even bother to throw them out....just left the poor dreadful things there in the pot on the window sill as a reminder of how fortunate I was not to be a farmer who had to depend on a crop for survival.

Fortunately, in more recent years I have become more adept at keeping plants alive, although it's still more luck than prowess.  More importantly, I have grown more and more to appreciate the simplicity of their beauty and how they delight us just by being what they are while we enjoy their blossoms, fragrances and myriad of colors.  

I think perhaps friendships are a bit like houseplants.  Every now and then the perfect balance of elements combine (without anyone having to figure out the science of the soil, water usage etc.) to produce an enduring friendship, the existence of which, like a unique and beautiful flower, is food for the soul.

So, with that in mind, get some paper and pens or pencils or crayons...whatever your favorite drawing toys are, invite a friend over.  Have a cup of coffee and a cookie or two and sketch something.     

Until next time...

Sketch ON

Bonnie