I woke yesterday with great ambitions to do a photowalk. But the sky was cloudy and gray, there were no shadows, and despite all my cleaning on Saturday I still had a ton of things to do around the house. So, photowalk on pause for one more week.
I went to Homebase in the morning, thinking I could pick up a chrysanthemum for the front patio. Our summer flowers were looking tired and we needed something fresh. Everything at Homebase except the plants is on sale because our local store is closing soon -- it will eventually be demolished along with the surrounding parking lot, an auto dealership and some other stuff to make room for 1,800 apartments in multiple buildings, as well as a park and commercial area. (A lot of people are against this scheme but I don't mind it. Homebase and that parking lot are ugly, and it does seem like an awful lot of underused land.)
On the way I passed a guy wearing a t-shirt that said "Ew, David." Made me laugh.
Anyway, Homebase was devoid of chrysanthemums, so I bought some ornamental cabbages instead, as well as a couple of trowels and some hedge-trimming shears. I stopped by Waitrose on the way home, thinking they might have chrysanthemums, and they did -- tiny, dead ones. Cabbages it is!
Home again, I continued my cleaning spree and watered all the houseplants. I discovered our aloe, which sits undisturbed on a windowsill in the living room, had a case of mealybugs. So I took it outside and hosed it off and washed those little monsters away, and cleaned the window and the sill.
I had no idea the aloe was so big until I had to carry it outside! It's the same one I mentioned finding in this post (although I called it "overwatered," I think I meant "under-watered," because as I recall it was very dry at the time). Anyway, it was much smaller then.
All houseplants can benefit from a good rinse, and this one was overdue. I think it's been years.
I spent the rest of the day reading. I'm enjoying "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow." It's been good all along but last night it got really good and even made me cry. I can't tell you the last time I cried over a book!
(Top photo: The back of some buildings on our high street.)
That aloe is huge. You found it in 2017? So that would make it 6 years old. Mine had grown so massive that it was tipping the pot over. I broke the plant up and replanted it and gave the rest of it away. The woman who got the biggest plant was very excited because they bloom after a few years. Mine never did. Has yours?
ReplyDelete“Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” has been added to the list.
ReplyDeleteOur aloes (enormous) are one of the few plants that have never been hit by a bug (touch wood). And that reminds me I need to thin out the planters and pot some more for friends.
The cabbages look nice...and you could eat them if necessary!!
ReplyDeleteI must repot our houseplants sometime..thanks for reminding me!!
ReplyDeleteThat aloe is impressive 🙂
The book sounds good. I see it is being made into a movie. Perfect for a movie me thinks.
ReplyDeleteTrouble is yo are an emotional kind of guy. You might be able to get medication for that.
ReplyDeleteMy old aloe in the kitchen has never grown huge, but serves me well as a burn remedy. I'm constantly catching my fingers on hot oven racks. So the aloe is a vital kitchen tool.
ReplyDeleteThat first picture is interesting but depressing. Thanks for the plant photos to clear my mind.
ReplyDeleteThat aloe is enormous and looks so happy.
ReplyDeleteHave you read, "The Storied Life Of AJ Fikry", same author? That's a wonderful book too.
Thanks for the book recommendation. I've put it on hold at my library.
ReplyDeleteOkay. That aloe is reasonable. I have an aloe BED which must hold upwards of a hundred plants which have sprouted there and they are of an aloe variety that has crazy sharp snaggled edges. Like sharks' teeth or something. They will hurt you. Not only that, but there are also many of the little dewberry plants growing in there with thorns along with a few other types of invasive plants.
ReplyDeleteIT'S RIDICULOUS!
I walk by it and think, "I gotta do something about that."
Do I? No. No I do not. I think I'm afraid of it.
I must read that book.
We have an aloe plant that is nearly 50 years old that I inherited from my mom. I have memories of being four or five and her breaking off pieces to soothe my sunburns.
ReplyDeleteI like the thought of cabbage plants for decoration. After they have served their purpose, I perhaps might braise the leaves with some pork chops for a fine meal!
Your aloe plant is really big. We have several of them that are about half the size of yours. I would love to get rid of all of them. They are lovely but I'm in a downsizing mode lately.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember the last time I cried reading a book. I'm going to see what "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" is all about.
I was wondering about the first photo. We don't often show the unpleasant parts of a city as it's not pretty.
ReplyDeletewhere will you get Homebase stuff when Homebase is gone? I do like the picture of the backs of the buildings. Quite a reversal of what faces the street.
ReplyDeleteI like the cabbages. They look good. That aloe plant is looking very healthy and happy.
ReplyDeleteThe backs of buildings look pretty much the same all over the world.
I loved that book too. I’ve never been a gamer but it was about the relationships. The cabbages are pretty!
ReplyDeleteXoxo
Barbara
I'm quite impressed with your aloe. I kept them as kitchen plants for years and years. The last one I had was so enormous (always needing repotting) that I finally left it outside over a winter since it had become unmanagable as a house plant. I figured if the cold killed it (which it did), so be it.
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely bumping that book up my TBR!
Not being into gaming I wasn't sure if I would like that book. I do love the author. Cabbage and kale turn such beautiful colors when it gets cold. I'm eager to plant some cyclamen (my favorite); they are good in moderate to cold weather.
ReplyDeleteI love ornamental cabbages. I feel like they would make a good ground cover around the base of our house. Of course, I don't know anything about them - would they survive the winter & come back next year? No clue.
ReplyDeleteOrnamental cabbages for the front patio - very resourceful! Now I'm wondering if deer will leave cabbages alone; if so, I'd look for some. Deer eat mums with the speed of light, as I learned a few years ago when my neighbours had put out new, large pots of gorgeous blooms and they were sheared off by morning! Where will you get your plants when Homebase is gone?
ReplyDeleteThe first photo is very
ReplyDeleteWEST SIDE STORY
My mum used to grow those ornamental cabbages, pots and pots of them on her front and back porches.
ReplyDeleteLoving That Olga Girl For Sure - So Cute
ReplyDeleteCheers
I like the cabbages. It's a really nice look for a fall garden. Or table!
ReplyDeleteDebby: No! This one has never bloomed.
ReplyDeleteMitchell: Yours are REALLY enormous!
Frances: Ha! I'm not sure they're the same kind of cabbages as edible ones?
GZ: It's amazing how they perk up in a new pot!
Rachel: Yes, it would make an excellent movie. Especially with special effects to render the video games.
YP: I'm normally NOT that emotional, at least not in the "sad" sense. (I'm annoyed a lot, though!)
Boud: I remember my babysitter using aloe on my burns when I was a kid. (What was I doing to burn myself, I wonder?!)
Catalyst: I photograph the good and bad! LOL
Pixie: I have not read that! We have it on our library shelves, though. I should add it to my list!
Ellen D: Great! I hope you like it!
Ms Moon: Then again, DO you have to do something about it? If it's not hurting anyone maybe it can just stay? (This is my laissez-faire gardening style talking, once again!)
Ed: Wow! That's impressively old for a plant! It's amazing how long some of them can live.
Robin: Maybe you could give them away? Just put them in front of your house by the street with a FREE sign on them. I bet they'd disappear!
Red: But it's not quite ugly either, at least I don't think so. I think it's intriguing!
Ellen: Well, that's a good question! We have a small hardware store nearby that will probably suffice for most things. Other stuff (like large clay flowerpots) we'll need to order.
Sharon: I think they're intriguing, a lot of times -- the repetition of lines and shapes.
Barbara: Yes, exactly. I'm not a gamer either but the relationships were fascinating.
Kelly: I've considered letting some plants go that way as well, but I can never bring myself to do it.
Margaret: As Barbara said, the point of the book isn't really the games -- it's the relationships between the characters. The games are just the rationale for their interactions.
Bug: I think they're annuals. I've actually never planted them before! These were on sale. :)
Jenny-O: I'm not sure! Our grocery store sells some plants but not the same variety.
John: "To-NIIIGHT! To-NIIGHT!"
River: Nice! I'm glad to hear they do well in pots. I'd wondered.
Padre: She has to be in every photo. LOL
Jeanie: I'm not sure they're eating cabbages, but they could be the centerpiece!