My first spike!

[Jirel]

My Cathy Beck has started a spike, not only is it the first on Cathy, but its also the first spike on an orchid that I've had in my care since before it bloomed! I've been worried about the orchids as they all had several weeks of almost no care while I was moving during September(I was sick from the stress of moving) but they have a great screened in porch now and I think are perking up.

[cassier]

Congrats on your first bloom. It is very pleasing and rewarding to have an orchid bloom in your care.

[patticake]

That's really exciting!

(You can pull that yellow leaf off- it's not doing anything for the plant.)

The plant looks great! Keep us posted on how it comes along! The bloom is really sweet on this plant!

[Tarad]

Congrats on the spike very cool , cant wait to see the bloom Tara

[solay]

Congrats. It looks great. The blooms are pretty on it. I forgot who had one that bloomed.

Mine I got in buds from Jerry lost another bud. I'm down to two. Hope I get one to open at least.

[articuno75]

I still remember your first thread when we all thought these were jinxed. I had to go back and re-read again just for a good laugh. (The part where the leaf fell off.) So glad it pulled through and so glad that it will soon bloom for you!

Congrats!

[patlee]

I have five or six leaves and a very, very fat pbulb, but no spike yet. Can't wait to see a pic of yours. Take good care of her--I'm living vicariously through you until mine comes around. Meanwhile, congrats on a great job--

[Jirel]

Thanks everyone, I'm holding my breath - even though I think it will be a long wait. I can hardly believe its really going to spike. I'm hoping that in a few months I'll have blooms from many of the other plants as well. Meanwhile I'm trying to work on watering, I guess the Dends need to be watered less now that "winter" is approaching.

Patlee, I totally understand about living vicariously - I've done that a lot with the rest of you. I AM getting hopeful that I will be successful with orchid growing though! I think they have to rebloom before you can be sure.

[tizzycat]

Congratulations, looking forward to some pictures of the bloom.

[dr_frnkblck]

It's always exciting, Congrats!

[fred]

congrats with your first spike
I am pleased for you

[slippery_biscuit]

I know the feeling! Enjoy your success.

[Jirel]

Just a quick update, I now have 3 small buds on the spike. We've had very cool weather for Oct in Florida so I don't think its growing very quickly.

[articuno75]

Ooooo buds.

This little guy came a long way. Can't wait to see the blooms!!!

[Jirel]

Six weeks later and I finally have a bloom! It looks like I'll get 3 all together. I suspect this would have been quicker if it hadn't been so chilly lately. I've actually had to move the orchids close to the front door and drape all of them with a sheet 3 nights so far. (Can't bring them in, not only would the cats destroy them but I have NO room.)

[Yiu Lin]

Looks great!

Congrats!

[solay]

Pretty. I have a spike on mine coming in too. Hope it blooms as nice as yours.

[fred]

congratulations
good growing
very pretty bloom
thank you for sharing with us

[brookn]

Sweet! My keiki is taking off, so maybe someday I can see this one bloom in person.

[patticake]

Touchdown!! It looks great! Nice growing! I hope you're all getting settled in to your new place. It sure looks like Cathy is!

[articuno75]

It's perfect! I still remember when the leaf fell off this one when we all thought these were jinxed. LoL I'll never forget that one. Great growing and awesome blooming!!!

[Jirel]

Thank you all for your support. Cathy blooming is one of the few good things going on. I'm disabled as of June and currently have no income - still. I can afford the apartment for the rest of the lease, I think. Meanwhile I have no energy to unpack my boxes so my very nice apartment looks terrible. Things will get better but this was never a good time of year for me as I have no family.

[solay]

Sorry to hear that. My mother will be off on disability by the end of the year as well and I know how tough it is to survive. The disability payments are not even half the amount you need to get by. Hope things work out for you and that the new year will bring you better fortune.

Jirel, you have us geeks here for you even if you don't have family. Just hang a few lights for now to cheer up the place. I find colorful x-mas lights always cheers me up and puts me in a holiday mood.

[fred]

Jirel
I agree with Solay
if you would like to chat on or off the forum please feel free to do so we are all here to help you, you do have a family and its us "Geeks"
maybe there is a geek or two that could help you out near your location

[Jirel]

Thanks both of you. This is just a bad time of year for me made worse by the circumstances. Sooner or later I will get over it. Judging by previous years, probably around mid-January. It sucks but that's chronic depression for you, and it was worse before I got diagnosised. The hardest thing that SHOULD be under my control is the boxes and boxes that aren't unpacked yet. I've never let boxes go unpacked before but even when I have the energy, my back starts hurting before one is even done. I've even thought of throwing them all out but I don't have the strength to carry an unpacked box out to the trash.

I can't chat, at this stage of the game I would wind up crying all through it. That's just me.

[davetheorchidaddict]

Jirel, that is looking real good, I remember my first bloom spike after killing a number of them I finally got a Den. Burna Stripe to bloom and from that time on I was hooked. Looks real good, keep up the good work.

I remember a poster I saw in a church in England, it was a short legged dog swimming in deep water, taken with half below water level and half about it, it read, "When it is the hardest to pray is when we need to pray the hardest." I have had to use that many times since then.

[patticake]

Originally Posted by Jirel

Thank you all for your support. Cathy blooming is one of the few good things going on. I'm disabled as of June and currently have no income - still. I can afford the apartment for the rest of the lease, I think. Meanwhile I have no energy to unpack my boxes so my very nice apartment looks terrible. Things will get better but this was never a good time of year for me as I have no family.

I wish I lived closer to you, I would come over and hug you! I've gone through depression before and it's no pic-nic. Just know that there are a lot of folks who care. Some have families and don't get along. You ARE loved....

[hera]

Hugs and kisses going out to you! I always get down this time of year and want to sleep all the time from the lack of sun.. Depression is no fun. Hang in there, your situation is bound to improve. Until then , talk to us.

[Jirel]

One of the things you find out when you're willing to talk about depression is that there are more people than we would expect who suffer from it.

I will let you all know when that second bloom finally opens. I worry about the orchids as I'm not convinced I'm doing the right care for them, but then it took me about 3 years to figure out the correct way to care for my roses when I had them.

[kid a]

I hate winter! For the very same reason. All I have energy to do sleep as much as i can no matter what time it is! I'm super grumpy in the winter. When I was younger it was an all year thing but now it is just mostly seasonal. BTW my Cathy Beck had three flowers when it bloomed too! And congratulations on your first blooms! It's very exciting!

[brookn]

Jirel, I understand what you are going through. This time of year can be diffucult. My mother suffers with depression, and this time of year is very hard for her.

Kortney, a lot of people are affected by the change in the season, the cold and dark days. Try some vitamin D, it is proven to help with this. You can take a supplement, or drink milk, or just a few minutes of sun exposure (no sunscreen). For anyone that feels this way, look up Vit. D and seasonal affective disorder. Many many people have this problem, and it varies in severity from person to person.

[katrina]

Nice looking blooms Jirel!! Dens don't seem to like me very much...but yours sure seems to love you. Good growing!!

BTW -- SAD -- try Omega 3 Fatty Acids....preferably from Fatty Fish. I started taking them 5 years ago...since then, no more SAD. Worked like a dream for me and I used to be a grumpy, sad, crying, sleepy bear come late Nov through Jan. It's happy days for me now! Make sure it's a good oil...some are nothing more than junk. Give it a try...on top of the above results...it's great for your cardiovascular system, your brain, and helps w/joint health too.

[Jirel]

My seasonal depression problems are totally linked into the holidays rather than the loss of light. Actually, as a person with Lupus I have to be careful of the sunlight, but I always try to have lots of indirect light in the house.

I don't take too many over-the-counter pills without my physician's approval, I take 30 prescribed pills (around 13 perscriptions) a day. Last time I tried to add a mulitvitamin/mineral pill I started itching. Right now I can't afford to buy more.

However, I am feeling better. I upped my steroids which give me more energy and I'm more able to move around and do things. Not a huge improvement but I can tell from the inside.

[Jirel]

My second bloom! Not a real good picture but it does show both of them on the spike.



I have my fingers crossed, I didn't close up ranks on the orchids last night but it was supposed to get down to 50. Hopefully they didn't get too cold.

I'm feeling much better, although eating is still not a high priority (for a change LOL!) Sent in my apeal for the denial of SSD. I was dreading that but they were actually very helpful.

[Chris Orchid]

Amazing! Love those flowers