Awhile back, someone asked me,"What do you DO all day when you can't work? Doesn't that get depressing?"
Um. Yes. Yes, if I let it, just vegging out for a large part of my day when I'm not feeling well does got old. And boring as heck, I told her. So I have to consciously plan fun.
"Plan..... fun?"
Well, to put events into my schedule that I will look forward to participating in. Anticipating happy times really helps me feel less cranky about stuff.
I thought about that conversation yesterday as my friend Naomi and I were discussing our plans for a wedding shower. Because I'm having way too much fun planning this shindig. I'm lucky that Naomi loves this type of stuff too. We can spend hours putting our heads together making sketches of decorations, designing invitations, and making lists.
This kind of stuff would have driven me absolutely bonkers about fifteen years ago. Back then, I was too busy running around with my hair on fire balancing work and all the other activities that I enjoyed. I simply would not have had time to be concerned with detailed planning. But as my disease appeared, and work and so many of my hobbies began to disappear, I began to look for ways to occupy those long hours that replaced my job and choir practices and all....
I discovered that I like planning things. Specifically things that involve gathering lots of people together, serving great food, and listening to interesting conversations. So. I'm having a grand old time planning Terese's daughter's wedding shower.
It's not going to take place until July, so Naomi and I will have lots of time to fuss and discuss every little detail. One of the things that we've decided (and I am not going to divulge too many details here because I want Emily and Terese to be surprised at the finished effect of a Fiesta) is that we'd love to have lots of real flowers and potted ferns scattered around the venue; but since we want to stay within a certain budget, we opted to start some of these plants in my little greenhouse ourselves. Same amount of investment: quadruple the number of plants. Woo hoo!
We started yesterday by getting the ferns started. I chose the "Christmas" variety. With any luck, these babies will eventually look like this, found here:
After the shower, since they're perennials we can plant them in our landscaping. Win.
They have a way to go. This is what they looked like yesterday.
See those little baby fronds peeking up through the potting soil? C'mon little ferns. You can grow big and green and bushy. I just know it.
2 comments:
What a great idea! I love your greenhouse. I had to have Achilles reconstruction surgery, and will have to have Achilles repair on the other, and because of that, have a ramp which takes up most our backyard this year. Luckily, it will not be there forever! I'm thinking I could use it for a small potted plant garden this summer while healing, in between surgeries. :-) Any suggestions for easy to grow veggies or flowering plants? I'm hopelessly non- green thumbed.
Also, I listened to the Sjögrens podcast last night and thoroughly enjoyed all of the contributors, but of course, especially you, Julia! Thank you so much for all you do for us! And thanks for sharing.
XO. Jody
Wait, wait, could we have more technical info on this fern growing enterprise? All I can find online about growing new fern plants is information about dividing mature plants or propagating from spores, which takes a long time. You are starting with what look like seedlings. How did you manage that?
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