Sometimes on my lunch hour at work, after I eat, I sit in the corner of one of the library's quiet rooms and read or respond to blog comments. Yesterday I went in there and this was the scene (above). Is there any plant that makes a better shadow than a Monstera? I've blogged our library Monstera before -- it's been there longer and I have and longer than any of my immediate predecessors. I'm not sure anyone at the school can remember a time it wasn't resident in the library. (The plant itself is just around the corner to the left, by the window.)
I wound up not answering comments yesterday because I was shooting pictures of the shadows instead, and just letting my mind decompress. I did read them all, though, and appreciated every one!
I wound up not answering comments yesterday because I was shooting pictures of the shadows instead, and just letting my mind decompress. I did read them all, though, and appreciated every one!
Yesterday I worked with two Lower School classes. These first-graders (above) decided to slide beneath the couch to read their books, which I thought was pretty funny. (Their heads were sticking out the other side.) In case anyone ever asks you how many first-graders fit beneath a couch, now you know the answer -- at least three. I bet another one could have squeezed in there.
If I get ambitious today, I'm going to try to make soup with our front-porch pumpkins. I also hope to make more headway in "The Old Curiosity Shop," and I have an adult birthday party to attend this evening. Hopefully Dave will feel well enough to go with me. He seems better today. I felt a bit woozy yesterday afternoon, like I might be coming down with something, but the feeling subsided so maybe I've fended it off.
It's a comparatively balmy 40º F (4.4º C) as I write this, and the low temperatures won't be below 40º F for the foreseeable future. Liberating the avocado from its sheath is also on the day's agenda.
Monsteras tend to grow too big for the rooms they live in and are then given away, noticed one locally this week given freely. Though their tops could easily be cut. I am sure jungle plants are much happier in the jungle.
ReplyDeleteThey can indeed be trimmed -- the one in the library has been pruned at least once.
DeleteHi there. How is it going? The Monstera shadows look beautiful to me, and it’s funny how the first-graders found their own creative reading spot under the couch. Kids always surprise us, right? I’m glad Dave is feeling better, and I hope you both enjoy the evening.
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend
Good to see you, Asep!
Delete"It is important to be careful when removing a sheath" - NHS Sexual Health Helpline.
ReplyDeleteKnowledge is power.
DeleteI love looking at shadows, and your photos of them are always very artistic. My grandsons old Border Collie dog spent her whole life with a complete shadow phobia, it was so sad to see her scared of even her own shadow.
ReplyDeleteI have to ask ... did they 'commando crawl' under the sofa or reverse in from the other side?
I didn't realize some dogs could literally be "scared of their own shadow"! I didn't see the kids get under the couch, so I'm not sure how they did it.
DeleteThe photograph of the feet is amusing.
ReplyDeleteIt made us laugh!
DeleteI really like the photograph of the feet. Kids sure do have energy and certainly can contort themselves into all kinds of places!
ReplyDeleteI suppose it's instinct, to find a cozy secluded spot hidden from any passing dangers!
DeleteI have a plant that is probably as old as I am. It is in many of my childhood photos and now sits near a window in my living room all these years later. Perhaps someday one of my girls will inherit it.
ReplyDeleteYou should post a picture of it, along with your childhood photos of it. I'm curious what kind of plant it is!
DeleteI love both the photos! Those feet are really pretty cute. Hoping you both feel better and enjoy the weekend!
ReplyDeleteThey are cute feet! Thanks for the good wishes.
DeleteI wonder if the kids thought they were hidden? Hope you both feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteWell, their heads were sticking out the other side, so they knew they were at least partly exposed. But I guess that was hidden enough!
DeleteI love the picture of the kids' feet sticking out of their reading den. It reminds me of a picture I took of Maggie and August when they were still merry little curly-headed cousins, lying on the underneath part of a Costco cart, feeling as if they were getting away with something amazingly crazy.
ReplyDeleteI swear to you- almost all of my monstera have dwindled miserably. I have no idea what's going on with them.
I kind of remember that picture! I wonder what's making your monsteras dwindle? They're usually pretty robust. Maybe they have a pest?
DeleteMy parents had an enormous monstera in a pot under the overhang in the backyard when I was growing up. It froze back one winter as I recall and they thought it had died but it came back. All these decades later, I wonder what happened to it when they sold the house and it was torn down. A 10 story office building sits on that property now.
ReplyDeleteIf it was in a pot maybe someone moved it. It could live on, for all we know!
DeleteKids seem to like finding unusual spaces for themselves. Reading rooms are usually lovely and furnished well, but these first graders prefer laying under the couch. Go figure!
ReplyDeleteMy monstera is relatively new to me and it seems to be doing well so far. It is only 2 feet tall and has multiple leaves about one quarter the size of the leaf in the shadow.
How tall is the library monstera? The leaf shadow is beautiful.
I'd say the one in the library is about six feet tall, and it's been cut back at least once.
DeleteI always like shadow shots and the photo with the kids is cute! I have a first grader in my family and they're such fun. (and he LOVES to read!)
ReplyDeleteI finished Bleak House last night!
Did you like it? I enjoyed that book a lot.
DeleteI love that photo of the feet under the couch.
ReplyDeleteI shared it with the other teachers and we all got a kick out of it!
DeleteI love the feet under the couch photo!
ReplyDeleteKids are always entertaining.
DeleteThe first-grader photo makes me smile. You‘re right about monstera and shadows. Front porch pumpkin soup sounds good.
ReplyDeleteI've taken several photos of Monstera shadows over the years and they always look exotic!
DeleteThat photo of the kids under the couch is just perfect - kids will be kids for sure.
ReplyDeleteExactly!
DeleteI love that they're reading under there. Kids find interesting places to hole up. That's a monstrous looking shadow! Glad Dave is better and that you're hanging in there.
ReplyDeleteI guess it's a cozy, dark space and kids are drawn to that.
DeleteI love the shadows and the little kids under the couch. Good luck with the pumpkin soup.
ReplyDeleteThe soup turned out pretty well! (See next post!)
DeleteI love how you notice the little things, the Monstera shadows, first-graders crawling under the couch it’s such a warm, real slice of life. Makes me want to slow down and notice more around me. Just shared a new post too, would love for you to peek at it when you have a moment.
ReplyDeleteI will check it out! Life is made of little moments, right?
DeleteHope Dave feels better. These kids know where to get the most out of reading. Great picture.
ReplyDeleteThey make reading a social activity!
DeleteSuch a cute photograph of the kids under the couch.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Thanks -- we got a good laugh out of it.
DeleteIs the avocado wrapped in such a way that you can open the sheath and let in breathe and get warm then close it quickly when the temps drop again? My monsteras are looking sad and have some yellowed leaves. I haven't watered in months, I just can't go out there, I used to feel happy while watering, but lately I am hating the garden and I don't know why.
ReplyDeleteNot really -- the seam is horizontal, so I have to take the shroud off the top or the tree will remain covered. It's no big deal. I can cover it again if need be.
DeleteOur garden sometimes feels burdensome too. I think it's just the nature of gardening.
I wondered why the shoes were pointing down,
ReplyDeleteThey were lying on their tummies. First graders know how to have fun.
Yeah, they were face-down, except possibly kid in socks who I think was lying on his side.
DeleteI like that grey settee with the yellow cushion - it's the colour scheme I chose for my living room, and one of my favourite colour combinations.
ReplyDeleteGood to know you're not ill, and I hope Dave gets well soon. Enjoy the birthday party!
You would love our Lower School library -- those are the predominant colors!
Delete