The Coming Move

Other than work, most of our time is spent on our plants, bugs, and pets. I guess you could say that we enjoy the care and cultivation of living things. For me, I enjoy collecting and propagating succulents, growing houseplants, learning about gardens, and taking care of our pets. Mark really enjoys practicing the art of bonsai and studying insects. We have other interests, of course, but the focus of this blog will be on the “living” parts of our life.

Mark has been transferred to Wyoming for work, so my current major project, other than packing up the house, is to get our plants and creatures ready for the move. A year and a half ago, we moved 2500 miles with ten pets, four scorpions, and twenty plants. This time, we’re only moving about 220 miles, so it shouldn’t be quite as big of a hassle. We also have an Explorer instead of a Pontiac Bonneville, so we’ll have much more room in the vehicle! Of biggest concern will be Mark’s arachnidae. They all prefer warmth in the 80+ range, so it’s a challenge to make sure we don’t let the temperature drop drastically. The drive will be in winter, with over 100 miles along open range with no pit stops, and 20 miles of gravel roads. Should something happen to the vehicle, I will need to have an alternative heat source to protect his specimens. I’m not exactly sure what my plan will be, but I will need to have a car safe back-up heat source.

I’m also concerned for my ficus benjamina. I have one that seems to tolerate condition changes, but another that is a typical “weeping fig” in that any time I do anything at all to it, the leaves fall off like rain. I recently repotted it and it is highly displeased with me. I think it will have just enough time to grow a new set of leaves before we move and it drops them all again. *sigh*