My Valentine’s present this year from Jason? Well, first he made an effort to actually celebrate Valentine’s Day with me, seeing as how he thinks its commercialized, made-up holiday. I am much too superficial for that, and so enjoy Valentine’s Day immensely.
Second, Jason surprised me and stayed home from work on Monday. To me, that is one of the best gifts he can give.
Third, he gave me these:
Aren’t they incredibly romantic?
You could say the longer you’re married the less showey and more practical the gifts get. I admit there’s some truth to that.
But I would submit that the more you know someone, the more thoughtful and caring the gifts become. My two new indoor plants are certainly that.
A few weeks ago I told Jason about an article I’d read that discussed air pollution. I learned that the most polluted air one breathes is actually in your own home, particularly if you live in the city. This is mainly because polluted air from the outside comes into your house and just sits there stagnant, no wind or change in weather to clear things out.
The bright side of this was that certain indoor plants have an amazing way of cleaning the air in your home. The article listed several species but the only one I could remember was the spider plant and I didn’t know what that looked like. Here’s a similar article I found on the web with a listing of plants.
Now I must say that up until this point I have been against foliage inside the home for this reason: I’m perfectly fine with being a weird cat lady, but being a weird plant lady bothers me. The only exception I make is the viney-looking thing on top of our fridge which was a gift and which miraculously remains alive to this day. It has had many droughts and as a result, many near-death experiences.
But because we had been discussing getting an air purifier (and those things aren’t cheap, I’ll tell ya) and this was in our price range and a natural alternative, I was willing to reconsider. At the time, though, I just chalked it up to “Maybe one day I’ll . . .” and that was that.
Jason remembered this conversation and so on his surprise day off he took me to Sky Nursery with a list of the best air-purifying indoor plants. The lady there was also a wealth of information and in the end, we came home with a peace lily and a snake plant.
The snake plant is pretty indestructible, seeing that it has thick, tough, prickly-edged leaves. Lizzie’s little fangs can’t do much damage. The peace lily, on the other hand, is vulnerable. We’ve managed to make a wall of picture frames around it so she’s only been able to mutilate three of its ferns.
(Don’t worry, we made sure we brought home non-toxic species. A dead plant is sad enough. A dead plant and a dead cat is more than I can handle.)
So there you have it. All I have to do is find some attractive looking pots to re-plant them in. I’m even thinking of getting a few more plants to put upstairs in our bedrooms.
As you can see, my chances of becoming an old weird plant lady are increasing dramatically. But at least I’ll be a healthy old weird plant lady, one that’s not attached to an oxygen tank or a respirator. And I’ll be surrounded by all the plants my loving husband has bought for me.
Second, I have this American Flag that I have never flown. I decided today was the day. I went to Fred Meyers yesterday, but flag poles are $23. I didn’t want to spend that, so I rigged a great flag pole out of spare wood, some wire and a few screws. It looks great. I am watching it now as I type and there is a sense of patriotism that simmers in me.
Bliss and the Battlefield 