Ooohhhhh.....Aaahhhh

A few years ago I was taking part in a Christmas gift exchange at the school where I worked. One of the neat things that I got from the teacher who drew my name was a small Christmas cactus. Boy, did that take me back! I hadn't thought about it in years, but Jerry's mom had a huge one that stood on a pedestal. It was always amazing to me when it bloomed. I thanked the teacher for the sweet memory of my mother-in-law that the gift evoked and I took it home to die. (I do not have a green thumb) Cacti are pretty sturdy, so this poor little thing lost one part of itself, but hung on and managed to survive somehow. Last year it actually had a bloom or two on it for the holidays. So I decided to surprise the girls by getting one for each of them. They really were surprised because they don't even remember Grandma Mary's! Turns out my friend, Melisa, is somewhat of an expert on these things. She told me she takes hers outside for the summer. Just puts them in some filtered sunlight and pretty much ignores them. If we're going through a really dry spell, she might give them an occasional drink. Hey, I can ignore things! Then she said around time-change weekend she brings them in the house and puts them in a room that doesn't get much artificial light at night. I did that this year, and my sweet beauty isn't even waiting for Christmas to bloom it's little heart out. Jerry and I are amazed every day to see the blooms. It's like watching slow motion fireworks!