New Years Eve Resolution

Friendship...

I vow to be the best friend you ever had or will have; to be a much better friend than I’ve been in the past!

If you need something, consider it done. If it’s grunt labor, I can do it. I'm a fair carpenter, a good electrician, and an excellent plumber. If it’s as simple as an open ear and a soft shoulder, mine will be there for you.

It doesn't matter if you're standing in front of me, across town, three counties away, or five states away. I'll be the best friend I can be.

If you're in the neighborhood, call. If I'm close to yours, I promise to call.

I am a better man for the influence of my friends, and hope to be able to return the favor soon.

Here's wishing you and yours an excellent new year and a happy pot of black eyed peas.

Best Wishes,
Steve

Orchids

I’ve got one dendrobium blooming (photo) and two pots of phalaenopsis with long, well established bloom stalks. One of the phalaenopsis has two different types of orchid in the same pot. The buds on one are as big around as a dime. After it blooms, I’ll separate and repot it. I post photos of these after they bloom

One of my phalaenopsis died this fall. The birthday orchid had a problem with its roots and basically died of neglect. It was truly beautiful and I will miss it.

One of the two “babies” my sister-in-law gave me in April seems to be alive. I’ve never tried to establish one of these, so this is an experiment. It’s a dendrobium and the cane looks healthy and the roots looked good when I potted it. Time will tell.

No new purchases lately. What with all the deck reconstruction last summer, and the orchids’ banishment to the shade of the dogwood trees, it didn’t seem wise to expand the nursery. I’m already plotting how I’ll fix the deck to house them come spring.

The vanda is healthy but showing no signs of blooming. I was told it was a miracle that I was able to get it to bloom once at all. They need an extremely humid environment. After I win the lottery, I will build a greenhouse into my mansion.

I read somewhere that night blooming cereus needs to be fed well before they bloom. I’ll try that this year. The plant is healthy so it seems possible I can get it to bloom. It’s not really an orchid, it’s a cactus. I lump it in with my orchids because it seems to grow the same. Once again, time will tell.

Christmas 2008

My participation in the annual rush of gross consumerism disguised as a religious celebration has officially come to a close. All purchases have been made, wrapped, and prepared for transport. I’ll take some packages to the post office today and carry a couple to Missouri for Christmas morning.

My Christmas shopping budget was pretty recession resistant. Luckily, I’m pretty secure in my employment and I’ve been able to build up a healthy discretionary income reserve over the last three or four months. I chalk it up to a small pay raise and some changes to my spending habits. I have a friend who calls me cheap. I argue that I’m frugal.

I didn’t shop for as many people this year as I have in the past. There will be people whose faces I won’t enjoy seeing as they unwrap presents. Life goes on and we move on. Shopping for a smaller group however, didn’t reduce the funds expended. It just modified the distribution.

Every year I participate in a modest philanthropic donation. The last couple of years I donated to Heifer International. Their mission is poverty reduction and providing family and village oriented support by helping to establish sustainable animal husbandry operations. A neat thing they do is allow donors to buy a specific animal: water buffalo, camel, goat, sheep, chicken, duck, llama, etc... I’ve bought hives of bees and flocks of ducks in the past. You can also buy the animal in a friend or loved one’s name; I’ve done this. I can only imagine the look on my niece’s face one Christmas when she opened the envelope and discovered I had bought a flock of ducks in her name for a family in Africa. Heifer does good work all over the world. Lately however, they’ve been doing a lot of bricks and mortar expansion so I wanted to switch.

This year I donated to the Arkansas Rice Depot. Their mission is to feed hungry people right here in Arkansas. We hear on the news every day that major companies are laying people off or firing them outright. We hear weekly that state and national unemployment rates are climbing. With this news in mind, I think it’s important to keep our giving close to home.

Give what you can without busting the budget. If you wind up in trouble yourself, you really haven’t helped anybody. A little pocket change in the Salvation Army’s red bucket will help. Also, give to a group who provides comparatively more service to their client base than they provide for staff and bricks and mortar. There are several on-line sources to compare them. Try Charity Navigator.

Or, if donating money isn’t realistic for you, try donating time. Roll up your sleeves and pitch in.

It’s never too late to give, and a very merry Christmas to you and yours.

Be Careful What You Ask For

A couple of years ago I made a decision I have come to regret. The decision brought about two results. Neither of which I'm real proud of.


One result was that I disappointed a close friend. Although seldom brought up in conversation, I am often reminded of the disappointment I caused. I will regret this until the day I die and I'm sure my soul will be bothered as well.


The other result was the loss of an old friend. We talked often before the decision was made . We don't talk any more. I really miss our talks.


I want my do over. I desperately want the post card offering me the opportunity to make the appointment. I wish I could go back and make things right.