A Work in Progress

June 21: Reading (Cactus) Notes

Remember my new cactuses?  Such cute little plants?  

Here we are almost a month later.  I can't decide whether they are progressing nicely or waving their (leaves?) at me in consternation.  The jade plant is the one I am worried about.  Following the advice of the lady at the nature center I clipped the top of it off as it was leaning towards the light (as in--it was not in the best situated window and needed more direct sunlight).  The idea was that it would expand out rather than go gangly up.  So I moved him to my south facing bedroom window and he promptly has dropped a couple of leaves.  I am a little worried about him now.  It is interesting that he has lost the color on the tips of his leaves.  I want to trim that top bit off and make him a little more even, but I am afraid to mess with him.  

However my little succulent (I am not sure what variety she is) seems to be doing okay.  I think she got a couple of little sunburns?  But otherwise she seems to be reaching for the fun and getting a little taller, though I don't think she has grown any new leaves.  I am trying to err on the side of drier soil rather than overwatering.  I wish they could tell me when they needed a little water.  I have bought some cactus fertilizer that I plan on mixing up this weekend.  Maybe that will help?

Cactus woes aside, I am enjoying my reading and have finished a few books (and hope to finish a couple more this weekend), which means I have been thinking about what to read next.  I need to catch up a bit on writing about those books I have recently read, but I'll save that for next week.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Elly Griffiths novel that I finally got around to and loved Lettice Cooper.  My Japanese novel reading of Ito Ogawa's was really interesting--Japanese magical realism perhaps will give you an idea of what it was like.  This weekend I am going to spend time with Anthony Quinn's Freya, which had been set aside for no good reason other than too many books on the go and it happened to be a chunky read, but now I am totally immersed in the story.  And I fully expected to like Ruth Reichl's writing and indeed she is a marvelous storyteller.  I want to read all her memoirs and anything else she has written.  So I will be in the land of foodies, though she writes about growing up and her family and travels and studies and many delicious-sounding meals as well as 1960s London with Freya.

And next?  That is the difficult question.  The Cooper is the Persephone Books edition, so I was thinking it is time to pick a Virago Modern Classic.  I have never read Elaine Dundy's The Dud Avocado (my copy is a VMC), so I might pull that from the shelf, but since I'll be perusing my VMC bookcase, who knows what I will end up with.  (Or maybe something entirely different). 

As for the Quinn, I thought when I finished Freya I might just pick up another of his books--Our Friends in Berlin, which looks like a good spy novel, or maybe something entirely different like Rebecca Makkai's The Great Believers which I have been eyeing for a couple of weeks now.  I have been thinking of picking up one of my unread Sarah Waters or maybe the last Pat Barker novel--the third of her Life Class trilogy. 

I have not even started to contemplate a new nonfiction (since I try and stick with one only at a time, it is always an almost agonizing choice--silly, I know).  I need to whittle my mysteries down (I have a thriller, and two Japanese crime novels on the go), but I did pick up the next Kinsey Millhone book.  I am up to L is for Lawless now.

Such "difficult" (but only in a good way) dilemmas to have.  What are you reading (or finishing maybe) this weekend?

Summer Growing Project: Tiny Plants

Trying my luck with a few more little plants.  I am hoping these little succulents and the tiny cactus will be more resilient and I will pay closer attention to their soil and sunshine.  These are the three I recently bought.

Last weekend I bought a couple of new little pots and proper soil for cactus plants and succulents.  The taller guy in the back was shooting up already and when I talked to someone at the nursery and showed her the photo she suggested clipping just the top and setting him in front of a window that gets full sunshine that he might grow outwards more than straight up.  Apparently where I had him before he was reaching for the sunshine.

I have no idea why, but the plant in the blue pot seems more like a he and the smaller gal in the brown pot like a she!

The little cactus (indeterminate whether it is a he or she and am I totally silly for even contemplating that it should be a he or she?) is staying downstairs in my dining room.  We'll she how it goes.  The pot is very contemplative, isn't she?  I have the urge to buy more tiny plants, but maybe I should see how these go.  I have had them in the original plastic pots for a few weeks and now just a few days in their proper new homes.  So far, so good.  I can't decide if I should try and name them.  I am not even sure their proper names.  I think the tiny gal is an Echeveria.The tall gangly guy?  Maybe just another variety of the same type?  And my little cactus friend?  I think it is just your garden variety generic little cactus.  

There is a serious cuteness factor to them, though, don't you think?

The Proud Owner of a Little Cactus

Here's something new and different.  Usually I only get book mail (well, in terms of 'fun' mail), but look what arrived on my doorstep just two days ago.  Is it weird that I am naming my cactus?  Meet Corrie the cactus.  She is a little prickly at first, but I have a feeling she is going to be a welcome roommate.  Maybe if I am especially nice to her she will even bloom at some point.  Right now she is just acclimating and getting used to the cold, short winter days of Nebraska.  She came from California, though she is a native of Texas,so this must be quite a change for her.

Officially she is an Opuntia rufida minima monstrose, otherwise known as a "Prickly Pear" cactus and this particular one will only grow to 10" or less.  It is also called a "cinnamon cactus" for the cinnamon-colored spines you see on the pads.  I just have to be very careful not to touch them.  I understand her need for personal space, which is why I think we will get along very nicely.  

At the moment she is sitting in front of a south facing window and I open the blinds during the day (well, I will on the sunny days anyway, of which I cannot always depend on during winter), but I will try and not let her get too close to the window as I don't want her to catch cold.  

She's very cute, don't you think?  And she actually made it here via post in a box.  I hope that was not too traumatic of an experience for her.  Fingers crossed I can keep her healthy and happy (and free of any little insects, which will make me wary and a little sad if they are attracted).

Here she is at another angle.  She may be a regular visitor here!

And I do mean to get back to book talk, as in proper what I have been reading but never bothered to write about talk.  I sort of let things go somewhere in the middle of the year and am not sure how I will ever catch up.  Maybe I will write about those books very generally and in groups.  I feel like my blog space needs to undergo some sort of change, though I am not quite sure in what way.  Maybe just talking about books as I go, rather than the task of writing some sort of 'review' when I am done.  

Any ideas?  And any advise on how to grow a happy, healthy cactus?  (Now there is a topic I never thought I would write about here!).

Prickly Pear of a Pet, or a Curious Companion

Okay, is this weird?  I want a cat, rather I want to have a cat once again, but my living situation at the moment is just not conducive to owning one.  So I will wait patiently.  I thought I might get a gerbil or fish, but neither appeals so much (I would probably kill a fish inadvertantly and gerbils are maybe a little too-rodent-like).  What about a cactus?  I know that is kind of strange.  But they (hopefully) don't require too much in the way of care.  They are cool looking and maybe will bloom at some point.  I am attracted to their prickliness as I often feel quite prickly in nature myself.  I only hope I don't start conversing with it.  

I don't know anything about cacti, but I can educate myself.  Hopefully I am not so lacking in a green thumb that I will cause it to keel over.  I'm going to try an Opuntia, or prickly pear, specifically an Opuntia rufida minima montrose, otherwise known as a cinnamon cactus.  I have ordered one from here.  I have never ordered a plant like this via mail order, so I hope it makes it to me okay.  It was inexpensive, but the shipping cost was almost more than the cost of the plant.  If you have any cactus growing advice, do let me know, otherwise I shall study up.

When I have it and have it repotted I will share a photo.  Do you think I should name it?  Do you think they are male or female?  An unexpected adventure for me!