Tag: Plants

Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 3/27/26

Posted on by Neal Saye

My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.

1. The beautiful Cherokee Rose that HR and I found along one of the hiking trails at Skidaway Island State Park near Savannah.

2. This Lovely Yellow at the Savannah Botanical Gardens.

I love my iNaturalist app, which helps me to quickly verify plants I see along life’s way.

3. My only complaint about all this springtime beauty would have to be the heavy overlay of pollen upon Savannah. So I am thankful for my Allegra, Flonase, and redi-melt Claritin.

4. My nose—even when it glows with springtime allergies.

5. Non-humans.

We all need a bit of Escape from People now and again.

Make you escape to a fun and healthy spring weekend ahead.

Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 5/23/25

Posted on by Neal Saye

1. Air conditioning! Savannah …

Ridiculously hot for spring. And yet, there is no climate crisis?!

2. Our bathroom window curtain.

It is a physical manifestation of simple joy.

3. Our incredible cell phones. (And occasionally the common sense to put them down.)

4. Reaching 15,000 minutes on my 10% Happier meditation app.

5. Reading this terrific new little book about the wonder of our natural world.

And here is a neat little Serviceberry tree outside our cottage at a recent state park stay.

May you discover some Happy Bringers in the weekend ahead.

Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 4/8/22

Posted on by Neal Saye

1. Breakfast fruit.

No, really, the actual fruit, not HR.

Okay, well maybe Robert too.

2. Our “garden.” We have an apartment in historic district Savannah. No actual yard space, so we do what we can do.

Three Happy Herbs in a pot

3. The ability to make choices.

4. Easter approaching.

5. Appreciating beauty, even aging, post-prime and broken beauty.

Wishing you a beautiful weekend!

Posted in Family

Cactus Talking

Posted on by Neal Saye

About five years ago my cousin Jennie gave my 94-year old father this little Christmas cactus, after he had a serious fall. He was a resident at Cameron Hall Assisted Living in north Georgia at the time and in the early stages of dementia.

It sat on the window ledge beside his bed, keeping him company with small splashes of pink for a couple of years, until he had to move on to the Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home in Augusta. There was no place for the little plant there, so I brought him home for Robert and me to care for.

My dad passed away in 2020 during the height of the pandemic.

The little Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi) grew quiet. All green leaves. No tiny pink explosions. Hushed.

But this winter he sprang back to life. He started talking!

“Life goes on. The cycle continues. Just wait, you’ll see.”