I’ve been teasing (ok, only half-joking) about being in solitary confinement these past nine weeks (but who’s counting, right?!), since the other three colleagues in my suite were relocated to other offices. The truth is, I have a lovely office and would be happy to stay put, but I do miss having people to talk to … or to bless me when I sneeze. I have a feeling that I’ll be relocating to a drab cubicle in the not-too-distant future, but like everything else, that, too, can change, so I’m not going to fret about it.

My office gets a lot of natural light, and I have a lovely view. I also have managed to keep several plants alive (which is no small feat, if you know me well). I have decided that when occasions arise, like funerals, where giving flowers or a plant would be appropriate, I will opt for a live plant whenever possible.These that were given to me as gifts have continued to bring me joy years later.

I received this peace plant (a much, much smaller version of it) when my brother died, and it has received more compliments from folks than pictures of my kids! I’ve already repotted it once, and it could stand to be in an even larger pot now. I water it from the bottom tray, and that really seems to help it thrive.

I also have more lovely plants by my window. The large one (I forget what it is called) needs its leaves dusted, but it’s still lovely. That’s my brother’s super-zoomed-in face in front of it — sometimes I just like to look at the twinkle in his eyes.  I’m thinking of repotting this into a larger container and tying a pretty ribbon around the stalks to hold them upright and add a little color.

The geranium is funky; at one point, one stalk grew halfway up my window in a straight shoot!  I tried pruning it and rooting it to share with a friend (and to keep the pot from toppling over). It rooted well but didn’t take when they repotted it at home. I love the butterfly picks; they make me happy. I think I will try repotting this one into a bigger container, also; it seems a little crowded.

Welcome to my office!