u/Poutiest_Penguin

Starting with a pic of my cat to ease you into the post-surgical photo and my before photo, which also isn’t pretty.

I had my LBL/FDL (no muscle repair) on June 12. I’m thrilled with the results so far. There’s still swelling, obviously, and the red marks are all from blisters that formed under my dressings (keep an eye on those Tegaderms!).

I’m 60, and I lost 130 lbs.

I had a collection of compact hoyas, perfect for this small IKEA cabinet. I put them in the cabinet maybe 6 weeks ago (maybe less) and they’ve exploded with growth. The chouke in particular, and it seems to have a peduncle too! Side view to show how many vines are hunting for a trellis. I like the crowded hoya jungle look, but I’m concerned they’re going to grow together in a tangled mess (and wrap themselves around the lights). Two Barrina T5s per shelf, 12 hours a day. GT’s Flower Focus, plus TPS Silica and SuperThrive, with every watering, in diluted quantities. And Gnatrol.

I’m having a lower body lift, and a possible FDL. Without muscle repair; with butt augmentation.

I have great help at home, fortunately. I’ll be fed, watered, and assisted as much as I need. But I’m so worried about my plants.

I know I can’t carry water for a while. But when should I reasonably expect to do even the smallest plant chores? I know everyone is different, but I just wish I had an idea of best- and worst-case scenarios.

If you’re still reading, you might be a plant person too. 💚 My little jungle is 140 plants, mostly aroids, with 26 of them on sphagnum moss poles. A few small collections (carnivores, fittonias) need a lot of attention.

I’ll be recuperating solo in a large room (see photos of a few of my roommates). I’m moving as many plants as I can (plus 30 propagations in glass containers) into that room. Even if I can’t do anything, I can make sure someone else does.

I’m grouping everything else by care requirements to make it easier for my husband if I need him to pitch in. Which he will, but he’s already got enough to do.

I’m in the process of putting watering inserts (the IKEA ones) in all the moss poles, and my husband will keep them filled. I’m going to pre-portion packets of nutrients for him to put in the water.

If you have a large collection, how did you make it work during your recuperation? What else can I do to prepare, and how worried should I be about what’s ahead of me, at least in the context of plant keeping? I’m worried that I’m underestimating how sick I’m going to be for a while.

I got this little kerrii cutting today as part of a FB Marketplace haul. Should I prop it in water or sphagnum moss? Any other tips? I’m new to hoyas and this is my first kerrii. I understand they’re slow growers. Do they also take a long time to develop roots?

This is my Fernando’s Fire. Usually when I do a moss pole, I plant two vines and keep the stronger one once they take off. (I don’t have any idea if this is a worthwhile practice, but it’s what I do.) I forgot to take off the second vine on FF (see photo 2) and they’re both pretty chonky. Those leaves are about 9” long.

Should I remove the second vine now? I would think it’s only going to size up more, and they’re going to fight for resources. I would prop the one I remove.

Also, the roots are coming out of the bottom (photo 3). Does it want a bigger pot? If so, would that still be the case if I take out a vine?

A couple of weeks ago I posted some suits I was considering for interviewing. I appreciate the feedback I received, and I’m back to show you the suits I selected, along with the shoes (which I already owned).

One commentor implied that these are old lady suits, because she asked if I was 60. I am 60, so I guess it’s appropriate for me to wear old lady suits. 😂 My turkey neck is a permanent accessory.

Question: do I have to wear stockings? I really hate them.

Let me know what you think! (I’m “mature” enough to handle criticism. 😉) Note: as much as I would love to wear heels, I have a fake ankle, and I can’t physically wear them.

I just gave my mixed fittonia planters a much-needed trim. The pink angel variety is growing like mad, and was crowding out the others. I’m propping all the cuttings in water with Prop Drops. In the past I’ve used rooting hormone and put them directly into soil with some degree of success, but today I’m in the mood to use every last unoccupied propping vessel in my collection. (I buy glassware at the thrift store.)

I just cut off a piece of my Shangri-la to prop, and I noticed the new leaves are losing their crinkly texture. But they have gills now, like a Champs Elysees.

Does anyone know what’s going on here? Or do Shangri-las always have gills, but we just don’t see them because they’re so curled up?

I had a random cutting that took about seven months to root in water. It was found mangled on the floor of Home Depot last summer, and there were jades and goldens hanging above it.

When it finally did get decent roots, I put it on a moss pole and it TOOK OFF. That newest leaf is 9”!

The discoloration on the bottom leaves is damage, not variegation. This plant gets a lot of light (12 hours/day) and there isn’t a hint of variegation on the healthy leaves. Do we think it’s a jade, or is it a low variegation golden?

We own a manufactured home and I’m shockingly ignorant about its construction. I understand it had to be transported in sections, and I believe they join at the master bedroom/living room wall in the floor plan I’ve included.

What is going on inside that wall? We use the master bedroom as a second living room/family room, and we’re trying to locate a stud to mount a large screen TV. We’re hitting something solid behind the drywall that’s much larger than a stud. We can’t figure out if it’s a vertical object or horizontal. Before we cut out a section of drywall to see what the deal is, can anyone give us any insight? I’m guessing it has something to do with how the sections of the house are attached, but I’m probably wrong lol.

The house was manufactured in Quebec in 1998 by Marcoux Homes and we’re in Massachusetts.

My little two-vine shangri-la on a moss pole had a rough winter in my underheated basement. It has been relocated to the upstairs for rehabbing, but I noticed the new growth is coming in without the curl on both vines. Is this due to trauma, or some other factor? In spite of its cold environment, it was receiving adequate light and diluted nutrients the whole time. Will the curl come back?

I’ve had this nepenthes for about 10 months and it’s always seemed really happy, but all of a sudden it’s got a few leaves turning black.

Is this normal? Is there something I need to fix?