Phalaenopsis

Today's Joy: Impromptu Fun & Bargains.

Happy Sunday, Reader. Hope the day finds you recharging a bit in mind, body & spirit. After church this morning, I swung by Mom's on a whim and kidnapped her for an afternoon of nursery-hopping and landscape planning. We visited a few of our favorite garden centers including Platt Hill Nursery in Algonquin, IL and the local Menards & Lowes. There's something that loves a big box hardware store in summer, Reader. I think it has a lot to do with the amazing deals you can find as they try to unload their remaining plant stock.

We certainly walked away from Lowes smiling with bargain hunter's glee. As an Orchid junkie, I always stop and look through the Lowes tropical plant section indoors to see if they have any phalaenopsis in stock. They had a whole cart full at regular price. But low and behold, when I checked out the reduced rack of wilted sale plants, there were several gorgeous orchids sitting on top. I asked a nearby employee if they were indeed on clearance and was told that yes, they were starting to lose their flowers and in a day or two would just be "a stick in a pot". So they were selling them for $1.50 each plant.

Now, Reader, these were obviously healthy $20 plants, several with double flower stalks and one with white blossoms the size of my palm. True, each one had a single blossom in its last stages of bloom. But they all also had plenty of other blossoms as well as buds about to pop and new growth forming. So I snapped up four of them and got to the checkout before the cashier could disagree.

The same employee I originally dealt with walked by and sniggered as we were leaving.

"Not a bad deal for a stick in a pot!" she called.

"You're right!" I said.

With careful feeding, my four new phalaenopsis will continue to bloom for a few more months and then hopefully again, over the winter. We'll have fresh flowers in the dead of January. Not a bad deal for $6.50.

Pixie.

Today's Joy: Lollygagging with Mom.

Happy Saturday, Reader. I spent the afternoon visiting with Mom as we leisurely perused a pair of our favorite local antique shops. Nothing better than a little quality time. Especially when it involves bargain-hunting.

Mom is always on the look out for vintage horse harness brass: 3-4 inch round brass medallions featuring a clever cut-out design or image. They attach to a horse's harness or headstall and add a decorative element. Mom is an avid collector and was delighted to pick one up today at a resale shop for 50 cents!

Here are a few other examples of harness brass:

Sun.

Crown.

Today's Joy: Discovering Something New to Share.

Last night led me to a family revelation, Reader.  I stopped by for dinner with Mom & Brother and the evening turned into an impromptu cooking-fest. 

While Mom and I bond over trips to the flea market, antique shops and local garden centers, it's harder to find a common activity to share with Brother.  He's a kind, wonderful soul with a big heart and a strong sense of fairness.  Unfortunately, our taste in hobbies is pretty different.  He's an online, video game, techno-speak sort of guy, while I'm into artsy stuff, cooking and old jazz.  For several years, I took up the line of fantasy books he read and presented him with a hardcover of each new addition at Christmas.  This gave us something to talk about and it was literary--a win-win for everybody!  Until the author killed off one of Brother's favorite characters and he lost interest in the series.  Dadgum it! 

So I've been on the hunt for something new to share.  Then, last night, Mom says the magic words: Your brother has taken up cooking.  Hallelujah!  So we bought all the stuff to make Cilantro Lime Chicken and got in the kitchen.  What a ball!  I got to spend some quality time with him and he got to experiment with all kinds of new flavor combinations: cilantro, cumin, ginger, adobo, tomatillos and fresh lime.  His favorite, though, was the Mexican fresco crumbling cheese.  I really like this cheese, he said.  I reminded him, as a single guy, that all women love a man who can cook.  He laughed. 

So, we have a new family activity to share.  It works for Mom, too.  She doesn't have to cook but still gets to enjoy all the food.  Another win-win.  What about you, Reader? What does your clan love to do?  If you haven't already, go spend some quality time.  Add some Mexican crumbling cheese.  It just might work magic.