she blooms

i am slightly amused by my previous entry, considering the subsequent days have been riddled in great choas, stress, lack of sleep, frustration at mothering, overcommitment, being late, more meltdowns than normal, and really bad sleep.
the previous entry also gives me a little hope that i'll have another day like that.

but i have found great joy from a little plant in my office for the past few days.

for our first anniversary, my horticultural friend jan gave us a Cliva. she had grown them beautifully here in the Minnesota tundra and had confidence that i would be equally successful, providing i bring it into the sun room for the long winter. while horticulture is my field of study, i have had terrible success with houseplants. terrible. i like plants that are right for the spot, ones that do most of the growing (if not all) on their own. so maybe my lesser interest in plants that i have to help survive indoors plays a role in them not doing so well in my home.
but, the delight of the week was the bloom (after 5 years!!) of our little Cliva. she is brilliant, even though she seems a little stunted, her flower stuck down in the leaves. she is a miscellaneous variety, so maybe the flower is supposed to stay low in the plant. i don't even care - she is lovely!