And the Plant Lives On...

I have many relatives whom have mighty GREEN thumbs. I had always hoped that I could nurture and flourish those same talents. I admire and respect those that do. I was excited being a first time home owner (three years ago!) to begin growing my own garden. I hadn’t anticipated the high cost to begin from scratch on land that has been left to the WEEDS for years. I figured that being patient enough to get into the home was enough and I could begin and have a garden in a year. That proved for me to be naïve.

Also a goal for a young family of ours, I had found it necessary to find a creature to fill the place of family pet (Miko has been with us for nearly two years.) She took over the back yard eating everything; EVERYTHING… She has consumed a wood chair, many plastic toys, bike handle bars, and a grill cover, not to forget all my potted plants (goodbye garden).

But I must take you back to the beginning… at least to where the point leys with this tale. Years back, approximately 8 years; my Eldest sister Kristi (one with a green thumb) gave me a 3” potted plant much like, or in the same family of a aloe vera. She must have known that I would most probably kill this poor little plant. I don’t remember to water things of that sort. At the time we were living in the basement of my parents home. The plant resided in the bathroom near the window. Probably its only saving grace. The plant got abused. Sometimes it got watered.

The plant somehow made it through one straight year of no water, other than maybe steam from a shower. It did shrivel up, it grew bare stocks and dropped shriveled up leaves easily. I figured I would throw it out when we moved. But it came to our home. The plant somehow lived on.

I felt bad for the plant and began to regularly water it. That’s when it surprised me with how resilient it really was. I transplanted it into a bigger pot. The kids pulled leaves off. One dropped and started to take root. That’s when I found that I could cut the plant and shove it into the dirt and it would take root and grow. Taking care of the bare stalks and filling in leaves. I was excited to see how nice this indoor plant would look, when some care was given. It somehow gave me some hope that I didn’t have a black thumb of death (at least not completely).

Most recently I thought the plant that is half way to a great recovery, had taken a swift kick to deaths door, when my daughter Lindsay decided that she’d try and “help” watering it with at least a ¼ cup of straight up vinegar. One of the stalks leaves drooped the past two days, but I’ve continued to water it to see what will happen. This plant just keeps living on!