Hi everyone,
Just a sad note for me… our Joann Fabric’s is one of the stores slated to close. It was in our local news today. They tried their best to stay open and I have to admit I was a VERY good customer of theirs… in the last few years especially. I will miss them, but my hubby was helping me think of things I needed to get before they go completely out. I am definitely going to get another pair or two of those scissors I bought yesterday. They are heavy duty and cut through my leather like it’s nothing. I also bought SO many snaps from them… I might need to check those out! The nearest Joann’s to me will be at least an hour away… I guess there is always online shopping… (which I already said I don’t use very often because I’m a touchy feely fabric kind of person!) I’ll get by… hey, maybe I won’t be getting rid of as much fabric as I thought I would! :o)
Something else to share… Last year, after my sister, Deb’s Amaryllis had bloomed, her husband planted it in a pot… It’s been in their house and Mike has been feeding it “compost tea” each day. She sent this picture a few days ago…
Deb said it was like that episode of Gilligan’s Island where everything grew really large because of nuclear seeds… She said it was crazy to watch and they were even laughing at it. Here it was yesterday..
Mike measured and it was 28.5″ tall from the pot to the top of it.
Today it decided to bloom…
Deb said it might be the world’s tallest Amaryllis! :o) Mike has a green thumb like nobody else I know!!! Seriously!
That was the perfect introduction to the next subject…
A fun tag-along with Linda as she visited the Missouri Botanical Gardens right in her hometown… St. Louis! Let’s see what she had to say about her visit this time.
Hi Jeanne,
Last week when we went to the Orchid Show. It was a beautiful change from the weather we were and are having and smelled SO good! Of course, it was inside!
Here are a few pictures…
Love to you,
Linda💞
Wow! They are all so pretty, I can’t pick my favorite, but I bet those violet colored ones were beautiful in person!
Thanks so much Linda!
See everyone tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Well, Jeanne, JoAnn’s is closing a LOT of stores nationwide, including the three that are closest to me (Lynnwood, Everett, and Shoreline). You can find the article and the complete list here: https://www.king5.com/article/news/nation-world/joann-fabrics-store-closing-list-2025/507-dabec3ce-f13b-4472-9309-136e314c2df4 King5 is one of our local Seattle TV stations, by the way.
Wow, that is one Ginormous amaryllis!! I’ve never seen such a big one–tall, but also the flowers are huge! Sadly, I have the proverbial brown thumb and can manage to kill just about any plant that comes into my house! I will stick to sewing, and leave the horticulture to those who are talented in that direction!
Oh, my, what gorgeous orchids! Orchids and lilacs are my two most favorite flowers (and I had both at our wedding!). I love the purple/white/yellow ones (second picture) and the white/dark purple ones (sixth picture) but my favorites are those fabulous cattleya orchids (8th picture). The yellow ones in the last picture are beautiful, too. Thanks, Linda, for sharing!!
Oh, Jeanne, of all the people to lose their JoAnn’s, you had to be one of those! I’m so sorry to hear that, and to others on the blog who might be losing theirs too, I am so sorry to hear. Thankfully, my JoAnn’s is still there, and while I don’t really shop there much, it is comforting to know that if I need any kind of sewing notion, it is close by. However, our Macy’s is closing at our local mall, so that is kind of upsetting, since it has been there forever, and I shopped there quite frequently. Such are the times we live in!
Wow, that Amaryllis is a stunner! What a beautiful sight on these dreary winter days it must give to Deb and Mike! After mine bloomed last winter, I planted it and it grew all kinds of leaves. Then as they say, you don’t water it for a time, and wait for awhile, then you take it out of the pot and it will grow again with the stalk of flowers. Well, when I did that, it had all kinds of roots and soil at the bottom, and I had no idea what to do with them, so I just threw it away! I still don’t know what I should have done.
Thank you for the compliments, Charlotte! I really enjoyed the orchids and look forward to it every year at this time. It’s a beautiful way to spend a morning or afternoon!
And thank you to Jeanne for showing them!