When I moved to my current living situation, I quickly appreciated my wonderful patio walkout. It my semi-private, small oasis that fosters a new hobby-being a “plant mom.” Through the winter I dreamed of what could be- still too cold to plant anything but would spend sometime each morning basking in the morning sun.
During winter I also decided to embrace some indoor plants. I found a great seller of starter plants on Etsy and ordered a few from plants.com as well as being gifted a few. I got a great plant stand from Amazon that not only looks good, but has built in grow lights for the dim darkness of winter. I tended to this plants and almost all are doing great! I looked for plants that are dog friendly (always trying to plan ahead for my service dog), as well as air purifying (my favorite for this is my snake plant).
Fast forward to early spring and my determination to get my patio ready for the warmer- growing friendly weather. I did a lot of research to find the perfect chair (from Outdoor Nook) and I am so happy with it! Then came the research and purchase of a wheelchair friendly raised flower bed (found on Amazon). I wanted something on wheels to be able to bring in during the winter. I love my choice and it checks off all my boxes! Next, I asked a good friend to bring me to Home Depot to purchase some plants- got all sorts of things, with my favorite being my little potted lemon tree, a tribute to my dad and his lemon tree he used to grow lemons to make lemoncellio. All my plants are doing well with the exception of my lost strawberry plant (should have left it in its pot and not planted in the flower bed). I’ve had some help from caregivers and friends with planting and watering, especially when I was in the hospital or recovering from multiple surgeries and couldn’t lift my watering can.
Yesterday, I spent a few hours “deadheading” and cleaning up my plants, some are struggling a little with the current heat situation and others are thriving. Hopefully this attention will benefit the plants and they will be thriving soon! Today’s goals are to spend some attention on my indoor plants and get them into great shape for the future.
I share all this to remind myself and hopefully others that being useful to someone or something is so important. Purpose in life helps keep you grounded, feeling secure, and give you motivation to keep going and not let the hard days win! Find your passion- it’s so important to give your life purpose, especially when dealing with disabilities or health struggles. So often we are caught in what seems like a never ending cycle of medical appointments, bad news, and pain that we can’t see the solutions. Giving your life purpose helps keep all these things at bay.
Included are some but not all pics of my plants that make me a proud Plant Mom!
