It Lives!!!

There's cause to rejoice when a plant lives in my presence.

My talent with houseplants is exceeded only by that for singing. Which amounts to a big fat whopping zero. I know it. Others know it. I make no bones about it. Anyone deigning to convince me or him/herself otherwise has another thing comin'. Namely bleeding eardrums.

I have a black thumb. It's neither intentional nor a lack of care and effort on my part. It just is. So I partake of the enjoyment of plants in others' home and leave well enough alone.

The only plant that does well — by that I mean it lives to see another day — is independent, hearty, extremely self-sufficient and thrives with weekly watering and placement in appropriate light,

A couple months ago I had this vision of a jade plant, a sort of beckoning if you will. Whether it was a feng shui thing or resonance with the plant with strong Asian affiliation or thirst for a living thing in the deadening industrial noise of the Room of Walls, I flowed with it, keeping mind and eyes open and browsing the garden sections at hardware stores and markets when I happened by.

Around the holidays a handful of jade plants appeared on a supermarket shelf — no easy find as the dreary and rainy Pacific Northwest climate is less than ideal for a succulent that thrives on minimal water and maximum sunshine.

After examining each closely, I selected the one that spoke most to my heart. Brought it home in a combination of trepidation and hope and set it on my coffee table altar. Watered it and watched for its well-being and new growth, each of which, however tiny, I celebrated.

Then I moved and thus Jade moved too. I'm liking my new space as much as Jade, who's positioned between two windows, is.

See that shoot at center back? And the tender sprig at the right? That's a burst of new growth! (Sorry for poor pic quality; cell-phone camera …) Jade is happy.