Pregnant onions............

I have always loved to grow indoor plants. In the beginning of this adventure, I had all the very typical plants; wandering jew, airplane plant, Swedish Ivy (I still love that plant), kangaroo vine. At one point there were so many plants in the house that it looked like a greenhouse.

But that was before I moved back into my childhood home to care for my father after my mother had passed away. When my parents built this house they could have cared less about the light that comes in. For the million years they were in charge, they kept the draperies closed all but a few hours of a few days a year. Grim is a good description of the vibe in this poor old place. There is only one window that faces the south (not counting the tiny bathroom windows), three east (the biggest being in the garage), one window and one door north and all the rest are windowns facing west. Hard to find a place for "normal" plants to get indirect good sunlight.

The house has a 3/4 enclosed patio at the entrance and I grow cactus, epiphytes and succulents 8 months a year out of doors. But come winter and I have to find a place for all my air rooted, spiney and prickly babies. This year with the 52 card pick up shuffle of the rooms caused a bit of a dilemma for my plants and I. But I did succeed in whittling away a place in the dining room (west) for most and in the living room (south) for the rest.

I have had this pregnant onion plant for 5 years now. I bought some tiny pea size onions and left them on the top of the potting soil and proceeded to neglect them just as I was instructed by the seller. They flourished and I have given away at least 100 of the little pearls over the years. But this year, in this light, I was rewarded with the strangest and sweetest December blossoming of the momma plant. I didn't even know that the pregnant onion would bloom. Happy December blossoms to all of you.

If you would like a couple of baby onions in the spring when I can mail them to you and not be afraid that they would freeze, just leave a comment and I will put your name on my calendar. And if I don't have your address, send it to my email. The first of Mayish....I'll send you some.