Preparations for Month's End!

Today we went to the temple.   Besides the glorious spiritual lift we get from serving in the temple, we also were close to Costco.  I know, I know, from the sublime to the ridiculous, but that is what we did.

This is especially ridiculous because Dear One is so concerned that we are ready for Halloween. In Vermont we rarely had any children visit with their bags except our grandchildren.  Here, we are told, we should expect a mountain of children since we live in the sticks of Sumter, even though we are in a housing development.  Consequently, families who live further out drive to the development and drop off there children for candy.

We are ready! 

Dear One wants to sit out on our front "porch"--a little space in front of our door, maybe 3 feet wide--just enough to put our wicker couch on and have our feet mostly hang over the edge--and by sitting there we can greet the trick-or-treaters who come rather than having to keep opening the door.  I am hoping that the cobwebs above are gone and that there will be no mosquitos that night...!

Plant Miracle!

It is a well-known fact (among a small group of family members...), that I am a serial plant killer.  I LOVE plants.  They make me so happy.  I cannot keep them alive for long, though.  When Elder and Sister J returned home from their mission they brought over their lovely ivy plant for me to take care of until the new missionaries arrived in April to take over the J's apartment.  This made me very nervous.  Unbelievably worried, in fact.  After all, I kill plant.  Even plants I particularly love.

Every Sunday morning I have poured half a bottle of filtered water over this plant as it has sat on our dining room table.  It has only lost two leaves since early December.  Today I decided to move it to a new location.  (After all, it was time to put away the fake poinsettia plant, I think, which had been in that location...plus we have company coming to share a bowl of popcorn with us tonight...).

Here is the plant!  Alive and pretty much well, as far as I can tell.  This makes me happy. I hope Elder and Sister T will like the plant.  Either way, come the middle of April, someone else will have the opportunity to help this plant live or die!