Good morning It’s another beautiful day in the
ATL. My weekend was fabulous. Didn't go
dancing like I wanted to but I got a lot accomplished around the house, i.e.,
washed the car, cleaned the gutters, etc. which is no small feat when you take into
consideration how chilly it was Saturday morning. But as you may know, if you
live in Georgia, you can’t really expect/depend on the weather to stay the same
all day. So by mid-morning it had warmed up considerably and turned out to be a great day.
I like plants and over the years I have collected quite a
few – all sorts. In fact, I have a few that were dropped off by friends/or
family members for me to “nurse” back to health. Thus my house is sometimes
called “the healing house”. One of the
things I got done this weekend was to bring them in for the winter. The only
problem is it is a struggle for me to bring the four “big” ones in by
myself so I solicit the help of a friend. I have 2 fica trees that are
over 6ft tall (I've had one for 14 years and the other for 16 going on 17 years);
a 7-ft+ cactus/Kasha tree (had him 15 years), which I call “grandfather because
it reminds me of the fence my grandfather planted around his house in
Willikie’s Village, Antigua. He is deceased so it’s sort of a tribute to him. Than I have this other 6-ft+ tree that I have
no idea what the official name of it is although I have seen it inside some of
the more popular malls (that’s it in the picture, 1st one left of the coconut
tree). I actually rescued it about 14 years ago from the trash one winter as I
was driving home from work. I remember
my ex-husband telling me, “you always rescuing the perishing and caring for the
dying.” when I brought it home. 
Funny, my relationship with that tree lasted
longer than my marriage - lol. Anyway, I also have a coconut tree that’s about five or
six years old. Planted it myself from a dry coconut a friend gave me from the
islands. It’s still sitting outside along with about a dozen other smaller
plants which I will bring in over the next few weeks. I have to watch the weather though because I
can’t risk losing this one as it’s my second attempt. The first one died after
being left outside overnight when we had one of those unexpected temperature
drops – in April no less.
But before I can bring them in I have to do some winter maintenance
on them to ensure their survival. The first thing I do is re-pot the ones who
have outgrown their current pot. You can usually tell that their roots are
touching the bottom of the pot because the edge of their leaves will turn
yellowish/brown. Once that’s done, then I water them real good with a mixture
of lime salt and plant food. I sometimes put a little Epsom salt in water as
well to help re-generate the soil. Then finally, I spray a little plant and
garden pesticide round the base of the plant to ensure no critters are taken in
with them. Last thing I need is a spider or some other bug taking up lodging in
the house for the winter. Make for a skittish night if I should happen to see
one while heading to the bathroom one night – I’m just saying- lol. I usually
do this maintenance process about a few days before I bring them in, this way
the plants can drain fairly well and I won’t have too much mess to clean up as
the 4 big plants have to be brought in on their side because of their height.
Anyway, this weekend my friend Jaye, came over and helped me bring them in -
thanks Jaye. 
The good thing is that they don’t just sit in the corner
taking up space either. I usually string some lights on them and they give the
house such character for the holidays. Yes, I have quite an attachment to my
plants. I find it relaxing to tend to them. I'm just saying. I got issues, what about you? )i(
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