'Bout time.

Diana ;o)

"J Fortuna" wrote in message
news:tB4pj.622$xE.57@trnddc01...
Hmm, unfortunately or fortunately I do seem to be into orchids again.
Today I put up the grow lights again, so that hopefully I will have more
spikes in the fall--the meager results of this season gave me the
incentive to do better again. I am still able to resist the pull to buy a
new orchid for now, but I fear not for much longer.

Joanna

"J Fortuna" wrote in message
news:MMUmj.17168$75.6581@trnddc05...
Kathy's comment in the WOC thread "If anyone who thinks growing orchids
*isn't* an addiction hasn't answered the Call of the Vendors." made me
think of my efforts to battle addictions.

I bought only one new orchid in 2007, which is huge progress considering
that there used to be a time when I would _need_ to buy orchids every
month, and I couldn't ever buy just one at a time (had to be two or three
or four). Alas, when visiting a relative the other weekend I started to
persuade her that next time we visit I will buy her an orchid, she seemed
reluctant, not wanting the additional burden of having to take care of
it, but I tried to press the case that an orchid wouldn't be any burden
at all (one orchid isn't, but whoever stops at one? I did not tell her
that.). And just this evening I was just thinking that if the
miltaniopsis reflowers again this year, I will have to buy more of those,
and how I have been neglecting to visit Al's Orchid Greenhouse, and after
all that is not very polite to Al who does not deserve that. So I fear I
may be heading for a relapse. :-(

I have just begun trying to get myself off of caffeine. So far, not very
successfully. I don't think I will be able to go a year with only one
coffee (shudder), so far I seem to be having trouble with one coffee per
day. I poured myself a second mug as soon as I got into the office
yesterday on autopilot, and as soon as the mug was full, I noticed, but
by then it was too late, couldn't waste a perfectly good mug of coffee by
pouring it out after all, could I? And then today, the major
tantrum/meltdown of my two-year old at the shopping mall made me drink a
second cup later in the day (just had to). When we got home the watering
of orchids soothed my nerves, and it did not seem like a burden after
all, and surely another one or two wouldn't make any noticeable
difference in the watering burden, right?

So I guess orchid addiction is easier to hold in check than caffeine
addiction, or maybe not? Is orchid addiction just a form of shopoholism?
Or maybe orchids give out some undetectable but irresistible addictive
substance that sinks in through our pores, and reprograms our DNA to
whisper "Buy more orchids. Buy more orchids. Buy more orchids."

Joanna