October 1st

It goes all the way back to my childhood years when I would walk outside our sliding glass doors that lead to the deck, and I’d hop in the swimming pool—making sure an was adult present, of course—and do handstands underwater. Our home sits near a creek, so much to our dismay, some small creatures have been known to find their way into said swimming pool… thankfully, I’d find them either before or after swimming. (I assume it’s not pleasant to find these creatures while you can’t breathe and have to paddle away from them, but that’s just my guess.) I have always loved animals, and I wanted to be a vet as a kid, so I tried to save these little creatures at all costs. In my youth, I’ve found a scared newborn bunny, a chipmunk that took one step too many in the direction of the pool, a few salamanders, and a few dumb frogs that just thought they found an extravagant lake. I’d scoop up these creatures from our pool and try to revive them by either drying them off, feeding them, or simply providing them with a plastic container as their makeshift shelter. However, I was not very good at saving these creatures; the salamanders always ran away and so did the frogs, and that little bunny eventually stopped breathing, even after I fed it via a dropper. My claim to fame is that I saved that drowning chipmunk… but he bit me as a Thank You for saving him from his little adventure in the pool, so I flicked him from my hand, and I think he landed in the bushes—I did not see that little guy after that.

I was also the same way with my plants. Surprise me with a succulent? I’ll somehow dry it out. Find a cute cactus? You know, the plants that claim to be virtually impossible to kill? I have killed two thus far. But for some reason, living in a house my last semester of college has turned my life around, because I now officially have not one, but eight plants alive and well!

November 21st

I have lost a dear plant but gained four more! Long story short, I put one of my ferns outside for a few hours because the house needed to get sprayed, and I didn’t want my plant babies to choke on any hazardous fumes. Well, they didn’t choke, but they sure did suffer from a little something I like to call: direct sunlight. (My bad.)

Here is a list of my plants that are still alive and well:

Zebra grass spider plant — He was really suffering for a few days, so I took apart each sprig and its roots, and then put them all in a pot of filtered water. They all transformed into perky, bright green spider plants overnight!
A propagated zebra grass spider plant — Let’s just say that there once were three, and now there’s one. But, that one is thriving like no other. Apparently he just didn’t want to share the mug that I planted him in with two of his friends.
Two Hawaiian spider plants (one small and one large) — I transported these guys all the way from back home, and they are loving life.
Two propagated Hawaiian spider plants — They are loving life in small vases of water.
Snake plant, AKA the mother-in-law’s tongue plant — If I were an interior designer, I would say that this plant makes a statement… mostly because it requires a very large pot, so it takes up more room than my other ones.
Round cactus — Wow. This little guy has been with me since my junior year of college. If you remember seeing my picture of those three cacti on the shelf in my dorm room, he was the one in the terra cotta pot that actually lived. “The little cactus that lived…”
Crispy wave fern — I have this air-purifying number in a mini terra cotta pot on the side table by my bed.

A basket of laceleaf (Anthurium) with another mystery plant — My mom sent me this one on my birthday (a wonderful surprise) and these guys are still alive and kicking and looking beautiful while doing so.
Devil’s ivy - I just got this one a few days ago, and it’s now hanging from a wall mount. I read that they can grow up to 40 ft long or so outdoors and 6-8 ft indoors? Wow, what a dream come true.
Round cactus — Wow. This little guy has been with me since my junior year of college. If you remember seeing my picture of those three cacti on the shelf in my dorm room, he was the one in the terra cotta pot that actually lived. “The little cactus that lived…”

Since I am unable to have a dog at this time, my plants are like stand-in dogs. Even though they’re not furry or greet me when I get home, they make me happy. (And some of them help purify the air that I breathe, so that’s a plus.)

Reagan Fleming