November 12, 2003 - 8:39 a.m.

Back To The Grind

Want to know how to make a Christmas Cactus thrive? Neglect it. Honestly, it has worked well for me! My little plant is too big for its pot, gets knocked over by the cat, and I forget to water it for weeks at a time. The silly thing rewards me for my lackadaisical attitude toward my houseplants by blooming beautifully for the third time this year! And we aren't talking a single bud or blossom here and there. Just about every branch has at least one flower, sometimes two. My other houseplants take the same abuse but without such exemplary results. My philodendron (the classic houseplant for those with black thumbs) stays green despite infrequent watering and little natural light, and the other flowering plant I have also appears healthy, though it hasn't bloomed in ages and has parted itself as though it has delusions of being the Red Sea. That said, my plant record is not spotless. The cat chewed one of my plants to death, and I have overseen the demise of a couple of African violets.

My weekend in Virginia with Sam was lovely. It felt a touch awkward at time, probably since it had been about six weeks since we'd been together. Most of the time, though we had fun. The weather was lovely, so we went apple picking and visited a vineyard. The pickings at the orchard were slim, but the views from its mountaintop location were spectacular! At the winery we tasted a bunch of wines, most of which were either bland or downright icky. We did get to try two kinds of wine I have never had before, viognier and a sweet "ice wine", which I liked.

The rest of the weekend was spent cooking (I made apple pie with our pickings and helped Sam make the yummiest calzones ever), playing video games, and hanging out in front of the fireplace. It was nice and relaxing for me, though Sam was probably secretly worrying about not getting enough studying done.

Yesterday, the kids were out of school for Veteran's Day, so we went to the New England Aquarium. We had a very good time, though B's lack of impulse control made him inclined to shove his way past people to get a better look at the tanks. M, in contrast, was so timid she was reluctant to get close to anyone she didn't know to have a better view. I love the Aquarium, though, and so do the kids, so we had fun watching the penguins, octopus, gorgeous tropical fish, and the almost 600 pound green sea turtle! It was a tiring day for all, though, and I am glad the munchkins are back at school today! I am off to the gym for the first time since Thursday.

today's project: a desperately needed workout

musing about: getting a start on my Christmas shopping

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flutter back - fly ahead