Finally, buds!

My Christmas-oriented plants seemed to have taken a year off until I noticed these buds on the plant I inherited from my former neighbor.  When I watched her house during the winter while she was in Florida, I always took care of it, and it seemed to bloom the whole time she was gone.  Now that it lives permanently in our house, it has turned as fussy as the other Christmas cacti here.

It gets the same amount of light, but it's probably too warm since her house was at minimal heat while she was gone (55 degrees).  At any rate, I'm happy to have blooms any time of year.

My other Christmas cactus used to bloom at Thanksgiving and at Easter but lately has been dawdling also.  Nonetheless, it appears to have woken up and may even bloom for Valentine's Day.   This summer, I plan to repot it as it seems to be a bit crowded.    Right next to it, my orchid is still going strong, having started blooming in September and currently sporting a new bud.  

Last night, we finally celebrated Paul and Chris' birthdays which occurred over the weekend when it was first too cold and then too snowy for Chris to get here.   It seems impossible that he is now 40 years old.  I had some filet mignons in the freezer - delish with mashed potatoes, peas, and various cookies for dessert.  It was a fun family night in the middle of the week.

I haven't done a lot of sewing over the last couple of days, but I did finish a knit hat that I started about a month ago.  After I got it sewn up (I always use straight needles), I started on another hat.   These go to "Bags of Love," which puts together kits for kids going into foster care.  I plan to make a few pairs of mittens after I finish this hat.  I usually only do a few rows a day whenever I watch TV.