Remembering Auntie Mabel

It seems that everybody has a favorite aunt in the family. My favorite aunt was my mother's sister whom we called Auntie Mabel. I have lots of memories spending fun times with my Auntie Mabel who, in my mind, could do anything. She could make an awesome "Apple Pie" without using one single apple. It was in the 50s and I remember that apple pie as if it were yesterday. It was made using Ritz crackers as a substitute for apples. And Auntie Mabel was quite a seamstress, creating her own pattern to sew my wedding dress. I just drew her a picture of what I wanted and in just a few weeks the dress was made! She was an amazing lady. Auntie Mabel passed away many years ago and I think of her often. 

Her son, my cousin "Tommy" found me on Facebook and when we became "Facebook friends" I noticed he was showing the world pictures of his night-blooming plant . . . an Epiphyllum which blooms only once a year and the bloom only lasts one day. I found out from Tommy that he grew his large plant from a cutting that Auntie Mabel sent to him many years ago from her home in Oceanside, California to his home in Florida. I asked my cousin if I could have a cutting to see if I could get one started too. He sent me four leaves, which I placed in a glass of water and waited for roots to sprout. It took a while but they finally did sprout and I planted all four leaves in soil. I'm so excited that all four are doing fine and are shooting off baby leaves. Soon I'll have to put them in a larger pot enabling it to grow into a larger plant and, hopefully, develop beautiful blossoms. Every time I look at that plant I think of my sweet Auntie Mabel. Thank you Cousin Tommy!

You can see the four larger leaves planted in the soil, and then each has baby leaves sprouting from them. I assume each of those baby leaves will also develop "grandbaby" leaves . . . and so on, and so on, and so on.

This is what the blossom looks like after the plant has matured. And my research says that when the time comes, some folks actually set their alarm clocks to be able to see it in full bloom because the bloom doesn't last long.

Life is good!