I'm not very good at keeping things alive

Dear Em,
Ok, before we get too excited about the title of this blog post, let me clarify. I have, in fact, kept myself alive (with a lot of help) for the past almost 32 years. We have two cats that are doing quite well (although, that's mostly due to your daddy who feeds them & changes their kitty litter). I've kept you kicking for more than three years now, which has been tougher than one might think. It's just that in terms of plants, our house is where they come to die.

Aren't Chia Pets supposed to be the easiest things ever to grow? All the ads picture small children who seem to be able to master the whole Chia pet growing experience. We had one a few years ago. We soaked the seeds, covered the clay thing in the seed paste, & watered it. Nothing grew. Nothing.

Regular plants don't fair much better. It's just really hard for me to remember to do things like remember to water them. Our kitchen sink area has been cluttered with all of the plants I've been able to keep alive in hopes that by being so close to a water source, they might actually get some water.

I was really proud of myself last summer. I had three plants that I had kept alive for quite a while. The oldest one, an aloe plant, was eight years old (that's ancient for plants in our house). I put it outside one sunny day to give it healthy fresh air. Then I forgot about it for a week. By the time I remembered, it had turned a weird brown-purple color. This wasn't the first time my aloe plant almost died. There may have been a few times I had forgotten to water it for 3 months or so. With a little love (& lots a water), it always came back to life. This time it didn't come back. I watered what had become a pot of dirt for almost 6 months before I was willing to admit that my poor little plant was dead.

I couldn't even look at other plants for a while, but New England winters are long...& grey. I needed some green in my life. I found a new little aloe plant to fill the empty pot of dirt. We bought aqua globes to help with the watering.

Then your Nonnie & Papi came. Now instead of two plants, we have ten. YIKES! I'm not sure if I'm more scared or excited. For my upcoming birthday Nonnie got a little indoor herb garden started, & Papi built a shelf on our kitchen windowsill for them. Less plant clutter while giving them the best chance of living by keeping them close to a water supply. Nonnie also pruned & fed & watered our existing plants.

I'm going to try really hard to keep them alive until Nonnie comes back this summer. In the meantime, we're enjoying our green windowsill. It's nice to see our little aloe plant surrounded by friends.

We're looking forward to the fresh herbs- if I can keep them alive long enough.

I love you so,
Mommy