My fall & winter gift....

I can practically set my seasonal clock by this Lovely.  Every year since I've had her, she has bloomed for me continuously from Halloween through Easter.  I think of her as a gift from God to sustain me through the cold, bleak months when there is nothing blooming outside my window.

This *Christmas Cactus* started out in a very tiny pot.  I picked it out at my local Pamida store when the seasonal plants were on clearance.  Since then many years have passed, and Lovely has grown to an enormous size and never fails to shower me with the most vibrant, complex blossoms I have ever seen,  and all she requires from me is a little water now and then and a shot of fertilizer a couple times a year (if I remember).  I keep thinking I ought to transplant her into a larger pot or perhaps prune her a little.  She's totally taking over a large spot in my laundry room.  Yes, this Lovely lives away from the eyes of those who might behold her beauty and lavish praise upon her.  That is why I think of her as an especial gift, for I am the only one who really sees her.  I do,  on occasion, when the washing is all done-up, bring a visitor in to see and admire her, but for the most part, I am her only beholder.

 

I feel blessed.  I am blessed.  She isn't on display in a fancy greenhouse window.  She isn't in a dentist's office for every paying customer to behold.  (Our dentist has a lovely Christmas Cactus too, but not nearly so pretty as mine.)  She is in a homely laundry room amidst the dirty rags,  filthy jeans, and dusty lint awaiting the praise and admiration of the humble homemaker.  Isn't she such a gift?  I'm glad you came by to see her.

By the way, My Big Fat Geranium that lived by the front door this summer is now in hiding.  She has been trimmed back and has the dirt removed from her roots.  I put her in a paper sack tucked in with newspapers for a winter sleep.  In the spring I will re-pot her and see what she does.  Thanks to those of you who had good tips on overwintering geraniums!