notes from La Mancha

I have always loved African Violets and have kept a few, flourishing for the most part, on the shelf just below my kitchen windows where they get filtered southern light, decent humidity and I generally remember to water them. They are also safe there from most marauding kitties, though the late Gracie found a way to get up there and wreak a few.

My financial shortfalls have cut back on my plant purchases though and I was down to only 4,[there is ample room for 8-10], 2 of which hadn't bloomed in a long time, but at $3-4 a plant most of the time, I had to pass by the Af. violet displays in the grocery, because as much as I love them, they were just too expensive.

So as I sorted through the survivors, a thought came to me that if I could find a few distressed ones for $1 or so, perhaps I could feed my desire for beauty without being financially irresponsible.

So yesterday, after making sure that my SS check had arrived in my bank account, I filled my car with gas,[$43.01 for 10.8 gals...], and went to SMart, on my way to get my hair cut. I had a hard budget and a list of needs, but I also had about a $5 cushion since the gas had been less than I had budgeted for and I could use the $8 change from the $20 I was using for my hair cut for some of my groceries.

As I walked into the store, I saw a stock cart sitting in the middle of the floral section with 7 plants on it, 6 being distressed looking African Violets. I picked up one and saw this sign...

...so I asked the clerk who was puttering around the plants if they were really $.99. He said they were. As I was choosing, another lady came over to look at them. We had a conversation about the care and nurturing of AVs. She took 2, I took 4. I have seen "distressed" AVs before, but never this nice at this low a price. I was thrilled.

This frilly mauve one,[it's darker when in normal light], was probably the nicest with the most buds yet to bloom of the 4 I took.

This one is the nicest of the purple ones...

the color is a bit better in this shot...

This one is really more red than mauve...

this shot is a bit blurry, but the color is more true...

This purple one is more "leggy", has less blooms and leaves...

it looks better here, though the color is a deep purple rather than a blue...

Here it is in its new home... watered, fed and enjoying the light...

and doesn't the shelf look happy to have residents again. Four lovely plants for the price of 1.

Now if only some of the avocado pits that have roots would actually sprout a stem with leaves...

and to cheer them on, the creeper is starting its Fall show a bit early.