For the Big Man

Around this same time i went to see Bruce Springsteen for the first time at RPI Field house. It was electrifying...Since then i have seen him many times, and it is still amazing. Just watching this injects about 10 years of life back into my body! Rest in Peace Big Man

Spring in the Trees...

There are signs of Spring everywhere! There is Spring in the trees!
Inside and out..... This little tree on my windowsill (center) is a tropical pre bonsai (not trained to a bonsai pot yet...) and it is blooming. It's called a Vietnamese Water Jasmine tree, and the flowers are very tiny, but very fragrant. These little star like flowers hang from their stems in a pendulous way and every tiny movement of air, causes them to sway a bit. It was very hard to get this picture, as any little movement by me or the plant due to a breeze, caused the picture to blur. I'll try to set up my tripod to see if i can take a better shot later....

And here is an old friend of mine, just starting to bloom. This plant is older than my oldest daughter. I remember going to Boston on a bus trip to see the huge annual flower show with my grandmother Mary, when i was 18 years old. That is when we first laid eyes on her favorite, the Martha Washington geranium, and this little gem, an Easter cactus. Up until then we had only seen and heard of the Christmas cactus. This plant is almost 37 years old! It is the original cactus, but there are many many cuttings all over the place, as all you do is take a branch of it and pop it into the soil in another pot and let it take root.

It's flower is flatter than the Christmas cactus bloom, and actually looks like a St. Michaelmas daisy to me....

This little plant is just one of the things that keeps my memories of my Grandmother alive and with me every day. I remember us coming back on the bus with our plants, happy as clams! I hope to share so many experiences with Lola and Seth so they will remember their grandmother too....

Blooming!

Here are some photos my daughter and i took of the blooms around the house here. The house plants can definitely tell it is coming on Spring! We took these photos with my brand new camera- a Canon Power Shot SX 10 IS... I absolutely LOVE it (so does my daughter). Now i just have to sit down and learn how to USE it! There will be no more blaming the camera for bad photography....oiy...The pressure is on folks!

African Violet up close

Another "Christmas" Cactus

another view...

One of my orchids, a Phalaenopsis in full bloom

What a pleasure it is to share space with these lovely plants!

Rising from the Shadows...

I was looking for a clip to post of Bruce's new music (not available until tomorrow...) when i found this. His song "The Rising" written after 9/11, still makes me cry. I never thought of it as a symbol for what we have been going thru these last years with the old administration. Interesting...