We have several plants in our home. One I've had for over a decade.
This ardisia went from about 6 inches tall at purchase to over 6 feet in height. Also, I discovered - after two years of ownership - that it flowers.
Since our most recent move, this plant has not acclimated well. In our previous apartment, we needed to tie up the branches and do some pruning to keep the growth in check. Once in our new home, it spent 6 straight months dropping leaves and entire branches. While that activity has ebbed, it's looking sparse. There is some new growth, but this tree just seems to be hanging on.
I have mixed feelings about what to do.
Part of me wants a new plant that better fills the space, but then what do I do with this one? A decade is a really long time to own a plant. This plant has seen me through graduate school, marriage, three moves, and a kid. Also, it's taller than me by no small measure. I feel like I need to get it back to full health so that it can live another decade.
Plus, I miss the flowers. They stopped showing up after our move.
Now, that plant in the kitchen we just got that is looking quite sickly.... that I have no trouble replacing with a succulent.
At what point do you call it quits on a plant?
Would you look at that I started a new… nope… I’m still reading I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump’s Catastrophic Final Year by Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker. BUT I made a lot of progress this week because I made the conscious decision to read this while we watched TV most nights. I am now in the chapters about the days after the election, and it’s making me want to watch those Philly dance vibe videos all over again.
How many hours of sleep you need at every age. [Real Simple]
Why book covers always seem to look alike. [Eye on Design]
Hilarious test and product review of the sushi bazooka. [The Takeout]
Vaccines are still effective - the data beyond the scary headlines. [ParentData]
All of these "old world" cookies look delicious. [Taste of Home]
What it's like to return to Earth after a stint on the International Space Station. [Every Little Thing]
Diving at a reef of WWII era military equipment. [Atlas Obscura]
How to work hybrid. [LifeKit]
The world's loneliest tree. [Atlas Obscura]
How drug ads showed up on American TVs. [Planet Money]
The nature of modern celebrity. [By the Book]
When we don't know what movie to watch, we tend to just scroll through the options available on demand until we find something intriguing. That usually takes a good half hour. The last time we did this, I happened to find Wolf of Wall Street in the first few options. This was on my mental list of films to see so we clicked play. It was fantastic but I was unprepared for how vulgar the script is. The dialogue made sense but, ooof!, that was a shock. [Netflix]
Apparently, this was the week of movies involving Jonah Hill since we also watched Moneyball. I avoided this movie for a long time because, after growing up in Cooperstown, NY, my tolerance for baseball only goes so far. Great casting but even better filmmaking. [Amazon Prime]
Last week, I made honey mustard salmon with roasted carrots. This week, I flipped the dish and made salmon with honey mustard carrots. No recipe - just mix honey, dijon mustard, and a touch of olive oil until you get to a flavor you like. Then toss in the carrots. Roast everything in a 375 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the salmon and carrots.
I avoided making all-in-one rice dishes for a few months because, for some reason, the rice always seems to take forever to actually cook. This week, I made a southwest chicken skillet in a sauté pan and added an extra half cup of water from the start. That solved my issues! For this recipe, I omitted the chili powder since I used a chipotle salsa. Next time, I will add corn. [Budget Bytes]
I love a new pen. I use Pigma Micron felt tip pens (size 01) in my bullet journal. This week, I needed to start a new pen. The brand new fine tip and smooth writing are simple things that make me very happy. For some reason, I feel more productive when I get to use a new pen. [Amazon]
You’ve probably already heard of Canva, the web-based design tool, but let me be yet another person to sing its praises. It’s intuitive to use with great content to draw from. I use this daily for both work and personal needs. Normally, I stick with free versions of tools but I am toying around with the idea of upgrading my account.
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Every year, we get blasted with 90 degree weather when it should be fall and, every year, I am cranky about it. This is going to be a cranky week.