Walking Iris

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Oh, how I love a new houseplant. I can spot a green leaf from across the room. When I visited my daughter last week, I was struck by the beauty of her walking iris and dazzled by its propagating skills. It sends up a beautiful blossom that then arches over and propagates itself, sprouting a new plant from the bloom and appearing to “walk” across the pot. You can even place another pot beside it and watch it take root in a new spot—super cool. She dug up one of hers to send home with me, adding it to the growing greenhouse of plants I’m accumulating.

I’m not sure when I became such an indoor garden lover, but these days I can’t seem to get enough. My mom gave me a few clippings from her scented geranium, another amazing plant I’m eager to see flourish. Getting excited over houseplants… is this what happens as we get older? I can’t complain about aging when it brings a greater appreciation for nature, beauty, and connection. I might just need a greenhouse room soon to keep them all—imagine sitting in a room surrounded by greenery, soaking in the sunshine with a cup of coffee… not a bad dream.

Propagating plants seems to be my new hobby… we can’t just play mahjong all day! But I’m getting close. I started teaching another mahjong class, it’s now a two-nights-a-week gig to accommodate all the people clamoring to learn. So far, I’m having a great time teaching, and I still play whenever I get the chance. I love my class, I get to see old friends, meet new ones, and share my love of a game I truly enjoy. Not a bad deal. It will be even more fun once more of my friends know how to play, ensuring plenty of lively game nights ahead.

To add to my teaching adventures, I even taught a class on how to decoupage seashells, go figure! I just love those old-school ’70s art class projects and can’t imagine there are people who don’t know how. 

If you had asked me a year ago what I’d be doing, I never would have guessed. Isn’t it wonderful, the paths life leads us down—paths we would never, in a million years, plan for ourselves? So here I am at 61, watching the eagles, propagating houseplants, playing mahjong, decoupaging, blogging, sharing random skills and knowledge I've been able to retain… and enjoying each and every day of it all.

“Sharing knowledge is the most fundamental act of friendship.” ~ Richard Stallman