Aaah California, how I miss its lush foliage. Not that I would ever be able to coax a plant to perform this way, no matter the environmental conditions. My mom and mother-in-law both have a talent for orchids. This is a talent that I did not inherit (not that I could have very well inherited it from my mother-in-law, but you know that I mean). Anyway, I just thought I'd share. An astounding three shoots of blooms off the same plant. You may be tempted to give some credit to the temperate climate and proximity to the beach but no. My m-i-l is just plain amazing!
The only person I knew who was better at orchids than my two moms was my maternal grandfather. He grew every species (and color) of orchid ever known in the little sunroom off his front porch. Every holiday he would make my grandmother, mother and I a special orchid corsage for church. The Easter ones were pretty big, so were the ones for Christmas. The biggest ones of all were the ones he made Mom and Grandma for Mother's Day. They were the ones that required TWO pins to keep them on.
He never got a chance to make me one for Mother's Day. We had already moved to Colorado when I got pregnant with Norah and he passed away just four months after she was born. Since I didn't inherit his green thumb, I'm pretty sure there won't be an orchid corsage in my baby girl's future (at least not one from me). But maybe he'll have one waiting for each of us, just on the other side of the Gate. I'm sure he's got a big one put together to give to Grandma tomorrow.
Happy Mother's Day to the people to whom I owe my current motherly existence. And to those in the family who know what it means, "I'll see you in the Morning."
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