A close friend gave me these teensy hosta this spring with the comment that they were rare, or maybe just unusual. She wasn't sure. I gladly took them, plopped them in a pot, and let them be. Needing almost total shade, I didn't expect much and hoped they wouldn't die.
I spend each day in an overly bright, Arctic-aired, windowless classroom. This afternoon I eagerly traded artificial lighting and the bang of lockers for a sapphire sky and mild weather. Once home I made my usual trek through the kitchen and straight out to the garden. Surprised last week to see a flower bud on one of the plants, I was shocked by what greeted me today.
A purple and white flower larger than the petals stood stiffly erect, a tiny surprise from an unexpected gift.
I hope these eventually fill this pot.
Everything that was right today:
The invention of Swiffer Wet Jet to clean up my elderly dogs bladder blowout.
Homemade oatmeal cookie and a cup of tea
Gorgeous weather
50% off coupon to my favorite garden center
Blooming hostas
Glad the stars are aligned for you, what a beautiful bloom on the hosta. I am a news junkie, have to listen to all sides....like living in two different worlds. oy.
ReplyDeleteToo much news becomes white noise to me. What I consider news and what news channels consider news is quite different. So much reporting seems to include more opinion than fact, especially all the biased analysis available.
DeleteThe simple things in life can bring much joy. Sorry about your elderly pooch, that must be hard. I can imagine how good it is for you to escape your classroom for the great outdoors. Have a nice day.
ReplyDeleteShe's a trooper but is prone to bladder infections so I'm always keeping an eye on her.
DeleteI am glad things are looking so bright and positive for you Tammy.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I have just never looked closely at the inside of a hosta bloom, but I don't recall seeing a two-colored flower before. That along makes this hosta special. It also seems like a rather large flower for a plant with such tiny leaves. I hope it prospers and fills up the pot for you.
I've never seen a two tone hosta flower either but then hosta aren't plants I usually pay much up close attention to. It's been a wonderful surprise. :o) I try to stay positive in most things. I don't always succeed, though.
DeleteA joyful day, indeed!
ReplyDeleteAndrew Weil mentions in one his books that if you stop watching the news you won't miss it. I gave it up for a little while, but it's hard to give up being a news junkie.
ReplyDeleteThe hosta flower is lovely. Sometimes, the smallest things can bring the most pleasure. The oatmeal cookie sounds good, too.
I love to bake so cookies are a mainstay at our house. I gave up a big list of foods just so I could have a cookie or 2 when I want them. I don't miss the news at all. Newscasters drive me crazy.
DeleteYeah that's pretty perfect:) I am addicted to the news. I can't help it. My world is peaceful while the world around us seems to crash and burn. The TV should really be turned off. But I need my weather fix. Afterall I need to know if we're going to get any rain:)
ReplyDeleteI will admit to being slightly addicted to weather.com. :o) Any news involving Rich People Behaving Badly doesn't deserve to be considered headline news. Too much news make all the news less relevant. It's just static.
DeleteI love the thought of jotting down everything that was right. I bet if we took the time, we would soon realize that there are so many more right moments than wrong. No TV for me either...I'd much rather be outside gazing at the garden and daydreaming. Thanks for sharing your sweet story about the unexpected gift. It made me smile ;)
ReplyDeleteWe have one TV and it's in the finished basement. Having to listen to nightly news as evening background noise is headache inducing for me. Plus, it's usually depressing. I try to think of things to be thankful for daily. It's much easier than people realize. :o)
DeleteIsn't it wonderful when it is the simplest things in life that bring us such joy :-) That is the tiniest hosta I have ever seen and I can't believe THAT bloom came out of that teeny little thing. How sweet!
ReplyDeleteI have nano-hostas. :o)I love how big and splashy the flower is!
DeleteThat's a little beautiful hosta. Let's you'll get your pot full of them!
ReplyDeleteOnce the pot is full, I'll have hostas to share. :o)
DeleteNot sure which Hosta that is but I'm sure they will fill the pot in no time at all. Very pretty bloom on it.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
I hope so!!
DeleteSuch a strange (to me) hosta. I hope you do have a potful of them next year, all filled in with masses of those strange purple blooms. And a potful of tea to go with as you enjoy them in your garden. And may you always have homemade oatmeal cookies. Always.
ReplyDeleteHomemade oatmeal cookies = happiness. :o)
DeleteTammy, it feels very right to look for what is right instead of for what is wrong ;-)! We all can use a little practice of that. The little bloom of your tiny hostas is so lovely. Actually come to think of it, it isn't so little in comparison to the size of the hosta leaves. Thanks for this uplifting post!
ReplyDeleteChristina
You're welcome! The flower is twice the size of the leaves!
DeleteI really enjoyed your ode to gratitude. And what a wonderful gift of a delicate and elegant flower. I wish you lots of peace and comfort as you manage your elderly pets health at this time. I have been through that, and I know it can be draining. However, it seems you know how to transition to peace and gratitude to bring comfort to your soul.
ReplyDeleteI think the importance of gratitude is incredibly overlooked. It's uplifting and makes you realize how many things we have to be thankful for. My dog Baby is 14 but has a lot of spunk and great bloodwork results so I'm hoping she has a lot of time left. :o)
DeleteThat's lovely, I haven't seen a hosta like that one before!
ReplyDeleteA garden is such a great source of unexpected joy.
NOT having a garden would crush me. I just couldn't do it. It brings so much joy! :o)
DeleteTammy, I'm glad your small hosta has so nice two-color flower! I hope it will grow up and has a lot of pretty flowers next summer.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful flower. It is the simple things in life which make such a difference. Sometimes the clamour of living prevents us from noticing and enjoying all the good things which happen in our day, which is a shame. I love your list of everything that was right today.
ReplyDeleteOn really difficult/stressful days I force myself to count everything that was good for the day. Nothing is too small to overlook. Just having a steady job, roof over my head, medical care, and a fabulous family are enough to help me keep my list of complaints in perspective.
DeleteAfter years of writing that bad news you cite, I know what a toll it takes to wallow in the worst aspects of society. Staying in newspapering but making the change to writing about gardens and other passions was life-affirming. Your post reminds me, again, I did the right thing.
ReplyDeleteNo reader ever wrote to tell me: "That murder trial you covered was just wonderful." However, my sharing gardening's joys never failed to resonate. They still do – as yours did here.
Journalism was my first major in college. I really wanted to be a foreign correspondent and spend my life traveling and writing. I changed my major after one semester and I'm glad I did. I couldn't report on death and suffering. Writing features would have been a blast, though. :o)
DeleteThat is one of the most beautiful hosta flowers I've ever seen. I love your outlook on life!
ReplyDeleteJust beautiful CM! Really sometimes the plants that are most ignored in our garden are the ones that put on the biggest show. Thanks for sharing. xxoo Nancy
ReplyDeleteI think if these little guys had been in a garden bed instead of a pot, I might have missed the show completely. I'm so glad they like their pot. :o)
Deletevery profound and complicated issues raised in this post. I dunno - I'll just join you, I feel happy too most days, in spite of being aware that there is so much suffering in the world. I guess my background is a bit like Lee May's. As a social worker I did my best to influence change, but you have to look after yourself and it does take a toll after a while.
ReplyDeleteI live in a very entitled area and refuse to believe that having to wait a few extra minutes for an overpriced cup of gourmet coffee is worth a hissy fit. It's infuriating to me how absurd and demanding people can be, especially when you consider the global picture that some people are happy just to have clean water to drink and one meal a day. I think some people have such a narrow world view that they don't care about how rich in basic necessities and comforts their lives really are. Social work is such an emotionally draining job. It's very similar to teaching. The emotional and physical toll can be tremendous.
DeleteI'm thankful for this post! Beautiful hosta and wonderful reminder to pay attention to all of the things that go right every day! Thank you, I needed reminding.
ReplyDeleteYour welcome! I need reminding some days, too. :o)
DeleteThanks for flagging this post. I have been so overwhelmed by work at my nursery that I haven't been blogging much lately. I have no idea what this hosta is. The leaves are pretty nondescript. The flower is amazing. Did your friend mention whether it always produces flowers this size? If it doesn't, maybe it has something to do with transplanting which can cause hostas to bloom out of season. If it does, you should send the photos or a link to Bob Solberg at Green Hill Farms, hostabob@gmail.com. He knows everything about hostas.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this info! I'll email Bob to see if is familiar with my hosta. My friend had no idea what the name was. She attended a hosta diving class at Viette's Nursery in VA and came home with these for me.
DeleteI like your attitude, I am still learning to see my glass as half-full... Such a beautiful flower on such a tiny plant, I hope it gets bigger and bloom more.
ReplyDeleteI gave up thinking the sky was going to fall when it never did. No matter how bad life got (parents died young, husband deployed to war twice, friend buried at Arlington, etc) I always came out ok in the end. Of course with some events, it took a long time to feel ok, but I always did. I'm a realistic optimist. When I think about the real suffering that people have endured, my life is candy.
DeleteI completely understand not wanting to watch news. Some days I'm addicted and other times I won't watch for weeks. If I watch I know what's going on in the world but I usually end up yelling at the tv and then I have to stop to clear my head. Life is hard enough as it is. Good for you remembering to look for the positives.
ReplyDeleteI yell at the TV, too. I just can't help it sometimes. I tend to take a lot of long walks to put life into perspective. :o)
DeleteYou are sooooo wise to avoid the news and to concentrate on the many good things in life. Glad that my lunch had been digested before the line about your elderly dogs bladder blowout!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet little orchid, clearly you have the midas touch.
Have a groovy week ahead x
Booty shaking grooviness right back at ya!! :o)
DeleteYou may know the title of a work by C.S. Lewis, Surprised By Joy. Gifted writer that he was he acknowledged it was difficult to describe the experience. Radiance is a word that comes to my mind.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE CS Lewis but have never read that title. I will definitely check it out. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is one of my favorite books. I named my dog Lucy after one of the little girls. :o)
DeleteSome people radiate joyfulness as much as others radiate negativity. I aspire to be joyful. :o)
I, too, gave up watching the news several years ago. Thankfully, the internet lets me cherry-pick my world awareness. I did not realize your classroom was windowless. Do you get paid extra for this treatment??? Eeeesh. No wonder you're such a spectacular gardener. Thanks for the brightening of my day, the reminder to look for all that is good. You might enjoy One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I love her eye for all the blessings in life.
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine having to work in a windowless room. As for news, I gave that up too, a few years ago and isn't it so much nicer to go out and find a lovely flower instead?! What a beautiful little flower and coming from such a tiny plant.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely little flower, what a lovely surprise.
ReplyDeleteYou can't know how timely and meaningful your post is. Thanks for pointing out the true blessings in lift -- the 'little things' that matter! Time to go out and savor this beautiful, Autumn sunny day and soak in the vitamin D !!
ReplyDelete