The Green Thumbs of Death

Saturday morning I got up at the ungodly hour of 5:30am, and went for a long walk.  I couldn't help feeling a little like an imposter exercising at that time of the morning, nodding cheerily to other walkers as if to say, "Oh yes, this is part of my daily routine."  My poor legs didn't know what had hit them when I got home.  In fact I went back to bed at 9am, and slept for 3 hours.
No matter.  I did find a couple of little gems at a garage sale at 7am.

I quite like this jug.  It was $2.00, and is going to look great in the kitchen holding all my utensils.  And, in a fit of inspiration, I bought this little teacup.  It's Royal Albert, and also cost $2.00.  I decided the teacup would look brilliant if I used it as a planter for some hen and chicks, so that's exactly what I did.

It looks fantastic, doesn't it?

Well, let me let you in on a little secret.  Right now those hen and chicks are dying a slow and painful death.  Oh yes, they look great in the picture.  But minutes before, in my haste to replant them in the new teacup, I ripped out most of the roots.  Now, I don't know a lot about plants, but I'm thinking that's probably not good. 

You see, I'm a killer of plants.  Always have been.  It's just that they're so quiet - I forget about them.  I forget to water them, I forget to give them sunlight, I don't repot them when they get too big.  I'm an unfit plant parent. 

I have a 12 year old daughter (who I lovingly refer to as Stinky), and a cat named Kitten, and have managed to raise both of them without much trouble.  But you see, if they were hungry they wouldn't just sit in the corner and wither away.  They would say something.  If I forget to get breakfast for Stinky, she's opening the refrigerator door by 9.30am and acting as if her throat's been cut.  Kitten does the same thing.  But not plants.  They die a very stoical death...they don't whine, or meow, or screech...they just turn brown and expire. 

And I have a feeling that's going to happen to my hen and chicks.  Because you can be sure that if their lack of roots don't kill them, the lack of water will.

Take care,