Windowsill aromatherapy
Americans have bought a lot of stuff during the pandemic, including a boatload of goods to make their homes beautiful. According to Gallup, 25 percent of Americans can now work from home and another 20 percent go to the office only part time.
It makes sense that the more time you spend looking around, the more decisions you make to improve your view. Home Depot stock is up 186 percent vs. this time five years ago and some folks are frustrated that their new tablecloths are stuck on a cargo ship near Long Beach.
Workers-at-home can save money they formerly spent on gas and parking and load up their carts at Home Depot. New curtains will let in more light. An ergonomically-designed desk chair is needed. It’s finally time to buy an exercise machine and throw out that beanbag in the den.
I don’t work at home, so it’s easier to let things go.
I rolled out a new rug in my bedroom 8 years ago, but I don’t look at it very often. If I ever scrutinize the floor it’s usually 10 minutes before my mother arrives, and then I drag out the vacuum.
When I get home from the office, my home is a place to sleep, eat, watch TV and wash things — the dishes, my clothes and myself. Some Saturdays I wash my car.
Thank goodness I really like my office.
The office window faces a brick wall, but there’s natural light.
So far I have amassed nine office plants, each which is doing much better than the plants in my living room.
I don’t try to get fancy with indoor plants. We tend to see about nine different kinds, and for good reason. The main reason is that most other house-bound plants will become a disappointment.
When I look around my office I see your standard Pothos, a prayer plant, umbrella plant, Monstera, a spider-esque variety and something with mottled leaves that may end as compost.
Give me some time and I’ll drag in an asparagus fern and a ficus.
However, my current joy is hyacinth bulbs in vases.
I began my love affair with hyacinth when I taught third graders. Watching a bulb send roots into water was a source of joy for both me and the children. I loved the day a student decided to say hello before class and we both entered a room filled with sweet perfume. The scent strikes you happy even before you have a chance to look for the flowers.
Over the years I snagged vase bulbs any time I saw one in a thrift store. My goal is to plant one bulb each week, until it gets too hot or I run out of bulbs.
When I spotted bulbs for sale in August, I knew I needed to splurge. A full bag of bulbs and another half are safely stashed in the crisper drawer of my refrigerator. Currently, there are four vases with bulbs in various stages of growth, all facing that brick wall.
According to Marketplace the sale of houseplants increase about 19 percent from 2019 to 2020, and I doubt this statistic includes hyacinth bulbs.
Bulbs make great emergency gifts for friends. I like to have a few bulbs, a few Dollar Store miniature fish bowls and some clean pebbles on hand. I write a nice card with instructions: Place the pebbles in the water. Place the bulb on top of the rocks.
Add a little water until the rocks are just barely covered. Place the bowl near natural light and add a few tablespoons of water when you think of it.
These days when I’m sitting on my couch, watching dumb-dumb TV and contemplating what to have for dinner, I’m also looking around my house to consider which plants to bring into the office.