Hill Country Living
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By Coulter Fussell
On a whim, I made turkey chili for the week and the timing worked out perfectly as it’s now freezing. The weather, not the chili. I had not looked ahead at the weekly weather forecast with its days of rain and below-freezing temps, so I guess I sensed slight changes in barometric pressure and intuitively deduced that it was officially chili time. So, I’m starting this week feeling ahead of the game in that I’m nutritionally prepared for a cold front.
I also prepared for the temperature drop by bringing in all my porch plants. This was a feat, physically. I’ve got what one might call a “substantial” collection of house plants, the care of which occupy a mentionable portion of my time and attention.
My plants are spoiled as they are all beautiful princess-angels. (Except for the mums. They’re terrible. Never again.) My family claims I have “too many plants” but maybe there’s “too many family.” Just depends on how you look at it.
Either way, the annual Bringing In Of the House Plants is an all-day ordeal and this year, for the first time, I had to leave one outside! And its wasn’t just any of the plants – it is the Queen! My beloved night-blooming cereus has gotten so big that it no longer fits in my home! While exciting to have a plant thrive to the point of obtaining a position of peak royalty, it’s also sad because I’m not entirely sure what to do with it now.
Earlier this year, this plant produced 11 beautiful nocturnal blooms – and then a couple of weeks later it produced three more – and then it produced eight more! And now – are you prepared to read this? –the plant has 22 new buds! All at once! The problem is that by the time this column is published, the porch plant would have endured three days of freezing temps and the new buds will have frozen.
It’s like watching the last days of Cleopatra!
Even though the plant would take up the entire room and leave no space for my non-plant children, I’m seriously considering bringing it into the den to ride out the cold front. I could try to peer through its branches and we could watch Dateline marathons together, along with the hordes of lizards and tree frogs that occupy the plant like tenants of an amphibious apartment complex.
Other than riveting plant and chili news, I am excited about the election coming up. Don’t forget that Voting Day for our statewide General Election is Tuesday, November 7. Take out your phone (right now!) and set a calendar reminder or an alarm or whatever little thing you use to remind yourself to do things.
This is the Reeves/Presley face-off and our own Yalobusha County sheriff’s election, so it’s a fun one! Just remember to bring your ID along with your neighborly kindness and patience toward each other and our local poll workers. If you can’t make it out Tuesday then hop on down to the courthouse and fill out your absentee ballot. Doesn’t take but a second. Otherwise, see ya at the polls!
