Sisters, Friends, Flowers, and Fun

Friday night, D-sis E came to visit. Now one must remember, that the last time D-sis E came to visit (also the FIRST time D-sis E came to visit), D-doggie Nevada bit the dust. So we were being especially careful that D-fav Jake didn't wander in the street, that we didn't overfeed the fish, and that everyone survived the weekend unscathed. D-sis E has a serious phobia about my house at the moment. But with the best of intentions, we woke up Saturday morning--well, she and her brainless cocker spaniel woke me up AT 6:00 IN THE FREAKIN' MORNING (AND ON A WEEKEND NO LESS)--and after breakfast, showers, and a leisurely 2 pots of coffee, we headed over to D-friend Bek's and on to our annual pilgrimage to MOBOT for the Orchid Show.

Oh, they gots some orchids over there in St Louis. So many, that's it's going to take me days and days to torture you with them all. So I'll just start out with an overview.

A very nice Oncidium. Nice, light, airy orchid. Me likey.

Cattleya. Traditional Easter/Mother's Day corsage orchid. Grotesque, vulvular orchids designed, I believe, to make teenage boys laugh nervously. How anyone dares to wear these to church is beyond me. In any event, they are the cause célèbre of the orchid world. The people who breed these have, I think, just bred them to death. Blech.

Ahh. Phalaenopsis. It's the Chicago of the orchid set. These little lovlies are the ones you take home when someone convinces you to begin an innocent "little collection". You know, just to see if you can. And the moth orchids are like mutts from the pound. They take a licking and keep on kicking. They're just glad to have a place to slap down roots. They don't care what color pot they're in. You can fubar the whole fertilizing/water/light regimen and be completely forgiven. Occasionally delicate. More often blaringly bold. This specimen is a medium-sized variation of the traditional moth orchid. Love the yellow color, the lip is phenomenal. The spotting on this one is classssssssssssssseeeeeey.


Some orchids try hard not to look like orchids. I'm actually rather fond of this green Cymbidium. Cymbidiums are my favorites. For absolute variation, total floral display, and gut reaction, these are the ones that do it for me. They are the perfect blend of lucious overkill that orchids really want to be, and yet have a striking symmetry. Breeders haven't overdone this group. They have respected the clean lines (for the most part) and seem to play more with color. A totally satisfying orchid experience. Unfortunately, every time I bring one home, it fails to rebloom for me. I've given up until I have the time to devote to them. They are finicky little buggers.
Popeye. Not an orchid, but an interesting little side trip on the way to St. Louis. And now back to our regularly scheduled program.


Cypripidium. I've had some luck getting these to rebloom. Unfortunately, they are prone to fungus and not very forgiving of Jake's freak-outs wherein he overturns everything near a windowsill. Sigh. I'm sure gonna miss that dog when he's gone.


And how about this little lovely? A pink lady-slipper orchid. How's that for wow factor?


Of course, this is another cymbidium. Today we will end on a arachnifloral note as I think this one looks like a spider is hiding inside ready to pounce out onto unsuspecting passersby.

D-sis E seemed to enjoy the orchid show. Of course, I warned her ahead of time that D-friend Bek and I were serious plant nerds and she wasn't allowed to bitch at us for meandering, talking shop, using a lot of Latin names, and taking pictures of everything. Did I mention we take pictures of EVERYTHING? After the show, we had a very nice meal at Zia's on The Hill, and I'd show you pictures of that, but both of our camera batteries had died by the time we got to the restaurant. Probably better that you don't see pictures of that as we polished off a carafe of vino and D-sis E ate at least two loaves of french bread smothered in zesty Zia's olive oil. She tried to get me to swipe the bottle of olive oil off the table for her to take home. I notice how cavalier she is with shoplifting when it's me she's trying to convince to behave badly.

Sisters. They never freakin' change. So just to pay her back, I convinced her to buy an orchid in the gift shop. I told her how easy it was to care for. I didn't mention anything about the fertilizing until after we were half way home. She got that wonderful deer-in-the-headlights look. Ahh, the sweet satisfaction of besting your sis. Yessssssssss.