A Triple Gift of Life

My nickname in the plant world is "Angel of Death."

That's because, except for my good plant deskmate Chloe "Lucky" Hawk (a gift in the fall of 2016 from a job shadower), any plant unfortunate enough to come under my care dies.

Always and without exceptions.

Period.

So you can imagine my "delight" when a Facebook friend offered to gift me with some of her plants for my balcony.

After explaining my lack of green thumbs to her (sounds less gross than saying I have black thumbs), she selected plants she felt could stand up against my lack of vegetation competency.

She also oversaw all their initial growings, ensuring they'd passed their most vulerable staged and could survive in the wild.

It was fun, too, because she sent updates and photos on my fledgling little herbages, which I likened to peeks at offspring via ultrasound images.

Encouraged, Rebekah even adopted a few tomato plants to round out our garden family. 

So this post should really read, "An Quadruple Gift of Life." Except Rebekah brought home three tomato plants. Which is making the title of this blog post complicated.

So - no. No title adjusting.

As ill-fate ordained, Daniel and I brought my little plant babies home in their pots just as a heat wave struck our area. 

The poor things wilted, turned brown, and curled up their little leaves. Whether that was due to the heat, homesickness, or the fact I kept forgetting to water them enough is uncertain.

I couldn't fix the heat and their homesickness. But I could step up the water.

Boy, did those babies slurp up the water! (Good there is no DCFS for plants - Department of Caring Flower Stewards - or I'd be in trouble).

In the meantime, my Facebook friend is messaging me, "Do you have any flowers yet?"

Flowers, ha! 

I'm just trying to keep the little plants alive. First things first.

Such as coaxing them back from the brink of compost with encouraging words and regular waterings.

Yeah. No flowers yet.

But they are alive.

And like any proud parent, I'm whipping out the virtual wallet and showing off a few photos.

They may not bloom.

They may not last the summer.

But they are alive.

For now.

I may even name them.

If I can remember which species is which.