Home Again

We arrived back into Montana from sunny, warm Florida Thursday night, and we were back at home by Friday evening. It just kept getting cooler (I don't dare say colder after you all endured the way-below-zero temps we avoided) and whiter the farther north we went. There's plenty of snow on the ground up here by Opheim. And while we aren't too excited about these conditions, at least there's some much needed moisture in that white layer of yuck. As Dennis said, it's "more than we had last winter."

Imagine being able to wade in the ocean on Wednesday afternoon, and then wading through snow on Friday. The miracles of modern travel, hey? It wouldn't have been possible in the past (and I'm not going to try to figure out how many years ago it was made possible. If you do, let me know.). We take this pretty much for granted now, forgetting to marvel at the advances society has made since our grandparents' time.

I'm a little distracted right now. I'm trying to watch our 12U AA grandson's hockey team compete live in Wesley Chapel via LiveBarn while also trying to get this column written. I'm already a day past the "deadline" for submitting it. Luckily, the boss is giving me some leeway. (By the by, the Gulf Coast Flames are up, 4-1, with one period to go, right now. Later this afternoon we'll be able to watch the 10U grandson play, in another town down there. Another modern miracle we enjoy - watching them compete long distance.)

In my travels this year, I've discovered our youngest two daughters have gone heavily into gardening, although not of the grow-your-own-food variety. The one near Chicago suffers lots of allergies, so avoids the great out-of-doors as much as possible, but she's added a great many green houseplants to her living space. I'll get occasional text queries, with photos, asking what's up with this plant, or showing off the growth of another, or raving about the new plant stand she's acquired. (I'm thinking she's going to get plant hangers crocheted by me for her next birthday.)

Our Florida girl's favorite "room" is the extended area she's added to her lanai just off the dining room. I couldn't even count how many foliage and blooming plants she has out there. And we accompanied her to stores where she bought more plants, and pots to put them in, and more potting soil. (I did crochet a few plant hangers for her while there.) She was rooting cuttings from the giant pothos from a friends yard so she can plant them to vine up the trees in her back yard.

Our Montana daughter also has more than a few houseplants. Her space is limited, as is her time, but she does have the required liking for growing things. It's good to see my mothers' green thumb being passed along.

While we were away, our oldest travelled up north a few times to water my plants. The weather wasn't very nice to her, so I'm sure my request to check on the house and my plants was a bit of an imposition. I'm so lucky to have her available and willing. A few of my plants maybe missed me enough to sicken themselves. I'm hoping they aren't beyond saving. The first thing I did (after hauling in suitcases) was water them. But if a few expire, I still have more than enough.

My writing was interrupted by the delivery of all the mail we'd had held while we were away. Wow! It was a tub-ful. I think most of us don't realize just how much mail is delivered when it trickles in daily. So now I need to go pay bills, balance checkbooks, and then peruse the seed catalogs. Next summer will be here before you know it.