spending time with the aloes and their descendents

The last two weeks we have been potting up our aloe plants (equal parts of sand, vermiculite and compost). The aloes came as most plants arrive in my classroom ... donations or we borrow a piece when someone asks us to repot one of their plants, or we grow it from seed. The latter has not been the case of the aloes. So, when I decided to sell some aloes this week to folk around the school, I was curious to see how much a person who buys plants would pay (please don't hate me for my roomful of plants which came by way of seed or donation). A very non-exhaustive search found that I was in the wrong line of business. Artificial aloes get a much better price. I was amazed at how cheap the real plants were, but then thought about how they self propagate.

The aloe above is looking rather healthy. To keep all my aloes this green I need to rotate them away from the light stands to the sun, which I accomplish by placing them into our one south facing window (and they stay green as long as they are not touching the window on cold winter nights). As this page of info indicates, they do not like to be in subfreezing temps. The aloes below were my introduction to their diversity, a wonderful discovery.

My main concern for the aloes is over watering and plants in two of the pots showed some sign that we had over watered. Some rotted roots, some black areas on leaves, and that stress may be why they were the only aloes in the room that had scale insects. We scraped off the pests, then cut off the sad looking parts when we potted. We also did a test spraying to see if the insecticidal soap would damage the aloe. For now they are isolated from the rest of the healthy plants. As far as the healing powers of Aloe ... I am convinced and use the inner juices to touch up any time I burn myself in an unmindful moment.

I wish I would have a sunny place for one in my house, so I can buy one of my own plants

on decisions--- seed catalogs

In my classroom are students who have differing abilities to focus. They range from those with OCD, who can get stuck in search of certainty; and those who have ADD who are quite certain that they may be a bit impulsive. I am more like the latter so while trying to choose a variety of tomato out of the multitude can be difficult, I don't get stuck for long. But does my attention stay there long enough to get the order completed? It is not done yet.

Then today I am sitting in a library examining who got published in the best Short Stories of 1967. Raymond Carver, who my plant ecology professor would introduce me to in 1985 (24 years later I am still hooked on short stories and plant ecology, can we say MENTOR). Joyce Carol Oates, who was in the 1963 anthology (the year I was born), is back again. But I get distracted by a book on my wife's pile. Melons for The Passionate Grower by Amy Goldman. My wife was attracted by the amazing photos. I read the growing tips then page through the amazing photos of heirloom melons while waiting for my wife.

I do not despise melons, but I would not say I am passionate about them. What happened during 2007 still makes me wonder. I left a thriving melon bed to go on an August vacation. I came back to the school to be saddened by the sad state of the bed.

I sit in a library reading and wondering... we could try again. First, I have to stop and focus on the seed order.

It is a call to be in the present moment. Not being obsessed and not being distracted. A place many find hard to find, but a place full of life when we arrive.