We do love our orchids.

Marty and I discovered orchid plants in the early 1970’s.  Depending on where we have lived and whether there was water rationing. we continued to have orchids.  When we sold the house with our greenhouse in 2012, we were afraid that was the end of growing orchids.  What apartment would be bright enough or have outdoor space for when the orchids weren’t blooming?  We sold and gave away some of the orchids.  Friends took our cymbidiums, just to babysit them they said. 

We thought we would never have room for the cymbidiums, they are huge plants.  Richard and Luis had us bring our other orchids and when we left there to apartment hunt, they tended to them.   Well, now we have windows 8 feet tall.  We have a back porch and lots of steps.  We have collected our orchids and are enjoying them muchly!  Our friends are great babysitters of orchids.  I have pictures to show you the glory of blooming orchids all through our home.

Be sure to click on the pictures to see the detail.  Orchids come in all sizes and colors.  Some have wonderful aromas.  Some just look pretty and have no aroma.  And pretty they are.

    

We have the tiny white bloom.   In contrast, here is this yellow and red lovely cymbidium bloom, much bigger, almost saucer size.  The bloom spikes on this one are three feet tall.

Another cymbidium blooming its heart out.  Who knew brown could be so rich?

                                                                              

This is sitting on the freezer.  The buds are just starting to swell.

  

Here we have a cymbidium. pinkish white with touches of purples.  The next picture is an Iwanagaara (Apple Blossom) which is a cross of a cattleya.  Another white and purple but very different.  Notice that the Iwanagaara’s two bloom spikes have different colored flowers.  Yet it is the same plant.  Weird.  This smells incredible.

                                                                              

As I said, they come in all colors, Halloween Orange.

Pure white with just  a touch of purple.  You have to look inside the bloom to see the purple.

                                                                       

This is on Marty’s desk.  It is white with a touch of purple and a yellow throat.

  

The ones setting buds, or bloomed out will live here on the back porch.  It is covered and has windows all around it. There is room for plants to sit on the back steps too.  Marty is a happy boy.  He doesn’t have a green house any more, but our make do is going to work.  He can continue to garden.  Maybe some time I will write about his herb garden.

MANY TOPICS, LOTS OF THOUGHTS

Today was my day to marry couples. Many types of couples got married. For one couple I was checking the license and saw the bride's name was the same as the groom's middle name. They were Hispanic so his middle name also could be his last name, since they combine the father's and the mother's last name for their last name. I asked for her ID to be sure the clerk had written it down correctly. After that was confirmed, I read over the license. From the license I deduced they had been married before. They both were divorced on the same day in May.

Today I remarried them. He seemed calm and dedicated to her. She was agitated and crying through out the ceremony. I could feel the connection between them. There was a strong love, but something awful went wrong in the past. I really hope they make it this time. Again, I have no ending.


Thanksgiving. November. I grew up in Kentucky. November and Thanksgiving meant it was cold, dreary, maybe with sleet and flurries. It is a nasty time of the year. Now I live in California, not southern CA. But still much better weather than Kentucky.

Our yard is blooming. We have cymbidium orchids blooming in the yard. Tomatoes are still on the vine. Gardenias are in bud, camellias are in bud, basil and dill are waiting to be picked. My roses are blooming. , At least the the ones the gophers haven't killed. They just took out a 40 year old bush. One day it was there, the next laying on its side, roots gone. I totally understand Bill Murray and Caddy Shack. I hate those little hair balls. Breathing deeply to continue. . . I have butterfly iris blooming and lots of other plants blooming. My magnolia tulip tree is blooming a couple of months early because it is so warm this winter. But at the same time we have trees dropping their leaves. California does fall and summer at the same time. But we are never severely cold in the Bay Area.

Things I am thankful for this year: Marty, Erik and Jennifer. An election result that there was no doubt.