tamarjacobson

… To Thanksgiving. I found this idea over at Shorty PJ's! I hope Mary will not mind my borrowing her idea. Indeed, I am grateful for Mary B's blog for many years now.

And so, my count down begins … 

Today, I am thankful for my Christmas Cactus plants, which always bloom around Thanksgiving time. They live by the window in my study. 

This one I gave to life partner when I first met him, 14 years ago.

This delicate white cactus I bought at Longwood Gardens three years ago.

Here is a baby blooming. A baby of the cactus I bought for life partner 14 years ago, he shares his pot with a new baby violet.

Finally, here is a small part of my largest cactus plant – reaching for the morning light. I bought this Christmas Cactus during the first months after I arrived in the United States, 20 years ago. This plant fathers and mothers so many other baby plants I have cultivated and developed over the years – some I have given away as gifts. One even accompanied me to my new Chairperson's office this year. This large, sprawling plant spent the summer outdoors, and was rejuvenated and strengthened to produce some healthy, vibrant blossoms this season.

I am grateful to these plants for greeting me with their beauty each and every morning when I wake up and come into my study to start my day.

The way I watch scary movies, whether they are thrillers or horror stories, is by running to the kitchen when a violent or tense piece arises. I jump up and dash out of the room, either to the kitchen or bathroom and from there I either peek through my fingers or call out, "What's happening?" Life partner is very understanding. He calls back, "Don't come back yet!" or, "Thus and such is happening now," and, "You can come back now."