Y’all. I’m glad I went ahead and gave myself a bye week because OtotheMG last week was a Doozy. With a capital D. That’s why I capitalized it. Doozy. It was my birthday week and I thought, “you know, I’m just gonna give myself the gift of taking it easy and maybe a quick getaway to relax.” This is why I don’t like to make plans because those plans don’t pan out about 99% of the time.
I started the week (technically ended the week before) by celebrating with family and friends and having a good ol’ time. And I’m glad I had that because if I hadn’t, I might not have had any positive mental energy to tackle the rest of the week. Sunday night, my sweet 13 year-old lab named Henry who has been my right hand man since I got him when he was 1 started dying. I can’t honestly talk about it without melting into a puddle of tears so I’ll just type random words that get the point across without really thinking about it. Because of his pain and location, we couldn’t get him to the vet that night so we made him comfortable and I spent the night with him until the mobile vet could come to him mid-day Monday. This was something I knew was coming and have been dreading and grieving over for years. Ask me about the time my husband came to my hospital bed a matter of hours after pushing a nearly 10 pound baby out of my lady parts and said “I know this isn’t a good time but I think Henry is dying.” Not a good time, indeed. I’m gonna need you to shut that mess down. NOT TODAY! So yeah, we knew it was coming but it did not make it easy. At all. I will just say, if you have the option of having that process done at home where everyone is comfortable and there isn’t the awkward chatter and negative emotions tied to a vet’s office, I encourage you to do it. It was a great choice for us. So yeah, super, super, super crappy start to the week.
After that, the week didn’t go downhill but it surely didn’t get exponentially better. Our other dog, Max, got attacked by a neighbor’s dog the same night we had to put Henry down, our daughter got sick, there were some very difficult patients at work, I got strep throat, Brett and I found an elderly man and his dog wandering along a busy road with no shoulder in a torrential downpour and took him home (which was heartwarming to be able to help him but incredibly sad at the time – knowing that no one is immune from dementia and knowing that his loved ones were worried sick that he had wandered off in the awful weather and could be swept away in the flash flooding that was happening), etc. It was nuts. We did get out of town to enjoy the rains of Biblical proportions that Wilmington has been having and got to spend some time with my sister and her family and friends so that truly was a great end to the week – I don’t want to act like the week was all negative. Let’s just say that I’m sitting here immediately after having a root canal and I feel like my current situation is way better than last week. Hey, things are looking up!
All of that being said, I haven’t exactly been inspired to do a whole lot this week. Butttt, my mom did remind me of something I used to do and I will say that after following her lead and doing a little something, I do feel a little better and somewhat accomplished. Lesson of the day, listen to your Mom. Or at least listen to my mom. Help me make up for all those times I didn’t and probably should have.
A common sight in my parent’s house is a cup of water with a plant rooting in it sitting in a window sill. It’s something my mom has always done and something I have tried many, many times but I would by no means call myself an expert on the process. The thought is that you buy 1 plant, make some clippings, and before long you have multiple plants. Cheap and easy! I know there are so many plants that you can propagate by just placing clippings in water but the one I am most familiar with is Coleus. And by “familiar” I mean I have plucked off many a Coleus leaf and plopped it in water – and not done much with it after that.
I may or may not have lost a scholarship based on my grade in my freshman botany class, so I decided if I wanted to do it right this time, I should actually read something about it. I found this article and discovered that, SURPRISE, I’ve pretty much been on the right track all along! Woop Woop!
Step 1: Buy some Coleus. I bought this pack for less than $5 at Lowe’s. I like that there is some variegation and a variety of colors. In hindsight, I should have gotten a collection of more mature plants in order to have a little more plant left over after taking the clippings but let’s be honest – I walked into Lowe’s about 5 minutes after getting out of the endodontist’s chair and I think I was a little more focused on my possible drooling and the fact that I looked like I had just had collagen injections. C’est la vie.
Step 2: Clip 2-6” off an apical stem below a node. The apical stem looks like this:
And this is where you should cut it (below a node):
This is the reason you want a larger plant. When you cut 2-6” off the little guys that I bought, you are basically left with, well, nothing. At least not for a while.
Step 3: Remove the bottom leaves from the clipping. Even the little guys.
Step 4: *OPTIONAL STEP* Dip the stem of the clipping in rooting hormone. I didn’t. I probably should have. For one thing, I didn’t have any. For another, you’ve probably gathered by now that making an extra trip to the store to perform a not-completely-necessary step in a process that I will probably get too distracted to see through to the very end is not exactly my style. I know this about myself. I mean, I’ve already told you I have done this a million times before and have actually planted the resulting plant a handful of times. So you shouldn’t be too surprised. I’m not.
Step 5: Stick the stem of the clipping in water and leave until you notice roots growing.
My favorite part of this whole process is placing the clippings in water in various shaped/sized glass containers. Instant centerpiece! And you know what you should do if you have a simple, beautiful, bohemian centerpiece? Throw a garden party! Invite some friends to dress up and come eat fancy hors d’oeuvres you’ve prepared while sitting in your beautifully manicured yard. Just kidding! I have a toddler! Do you honestly think I have time for any of that stuff?! Put those dinky plant clippings on your kitchen table and pat yourself on the back. You are fancy!
Alright, so I guess there is a sixth step which is planting the clippings, I just rarely get around to it. So if you’re like me, feel good that you at least tried and if nothing else, had something pretty on your table for a few weeks before realizing that your favorite wine glass is missing and must clearly be reclaimed to perform its intended purpose. If you've had a week (or so) like mine, that wine glass has only 1 purpose...
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