A Story: "Splash" and Air Plant Blooming

A Story

Splash

Beaming through bright blue sky patches, sunlight glittered on rain-washed scenery.  Olivia's mood was in sync with the weather.  She slipped on her low-cut rubber boots and danced outside.  Stretching up her arms, she pictured herself as Maria in the Alps.

"The hills are alive," she sang heartily, twirling her way across the lawn.  She closed her eyes, swept away with euphoria.  Then in slow motion time, her foot slipped, her body swirled and gently, incredibly, she splashed face down in a puddle.

Sitting up, she burst into a riot of laughter.  She wasn't Maria; she was Charlie Chaplin.

This air plant is blooming.  Air plants are amazing as they live with no soil.  I soak mine every week in rainwater for a few hours. When I take it out of the water, I turn it upside down and give it a shake to get excess water away from the base of the plant.  Then I put it back in its crocheted pot.  I have the plant in a south facing window but that window is shaded in the summer by the roof overhang so the light is bright but not scorching hot.                                

Once in a while, I will add a little liquid fertilizer to the water.  

I like the sculptural shape of the plant.  The two sections that bloomed other years stay green but do not grow anymore.  After this section finishes blooming in a couple of weeks, the plant will start to make another offshoot.

A close up of a bloom.  Each reddish point will send out a bloom. Funny looking flower that doesn't seem to match the red of the bud.  Each flower only lasts a couple of days.  This plant is about 7" tall.