Wednesday Fail

Okay. So I didn't exactly forget my Wreck This Journal post, I just didn't have a chance to do any wrecking last week. But I don't want you to leave empty handed, so I took a couple of pictures for you of other things. :-)

First we have an orchid in bud:

This was very exciting for me. I love orchids. A long time ago, when I worked in a grocery store, I used to admire the orchids in the plant department, but since I was only getting minimum wage, I couldn't afford one. However, I made friends with the plant lady and she had two orchids that were on death's door that she sold me for $5.

I took these orchids home and nursed them back to health, and lo and behold, against everyone's expectations, they bloomed. Granted they'd only get two or three blossoms on their bloom stalks, but the blooms would last for weeks.

I also had an orchid I'd started from a seedling that took seven years to bloom, but boy was it worth the wait. The blossom was huge.

Now we fast forward to a couple of years ago when we had an extremely hot summer and I learned the hard way that orchids do not like air conditioning. The orchid I'd started from scratch was a few yards away from the air conditioner, but in the direct line of cold air. And the two I'd nursed back to health were on a table beside the air conditioner.

I thought I'd lost them all, but I was able to nurse one of my two from the grocery store back to health. During the winter I put it on the kitchen window ledge so it'd have lots of sunlight, and it seemed much happier. Then one day I noticed it was getting a bloom stalk. I kept turning it to keep it from touching the cold window until the stalk was long enough that I could gently twist tie it to a stick in the pot.

Today my vigilance was rewarded when I saw this:

I can't help wonder how many of those buds I can get to bloom. :-)

And now for something completely different . . .

Remember I was telling you the ducks were back? Yesterday I could see water splashing up from the pool and went to see what was going on. I remember how much fun Daphne used to have taking a bath in the pool. Well, Daphne wasn't having much fun. She had two male ducks after her and they seemed to be trying to drown her - they kept shoving her head under the water. So I went out an yelled at them, and they took their argument onto dry land where they chased her into the neighbor's yard.

Then this morning, when I was leaving for the gym, I heard a rustling in the front garden. I just figured it was the wind. But when I came home I noticed this:

You might need to click on it for a better view, but it looks like Daphne found the perfect place to hide.

I'd say spring has well and truly sprung, wouldn't you? ;-)