Greetings,

Before and after. I have some moth, or Phalaenopsis orchids, which have been given to me over the years and/or picked up from employers etc.

You can see them in these photos with buds forming, just prior to blooming and then the reward that is well worth the wait. Look at the spectacular blossoms! He’s not finished yet either. Notice the two green buds that will blossom in a few days. I will provide updated photos when they emerge.

Moth orchids require patience, cooler temps and a bit of luck to again see blossoms after their flowers have been spent. One of my three bloomed this year. This is why oftentimes they are unfortunately discarded after flowers have faded. I say hang on to them, providing care, talk to em’ if you want and they may just reward you. Moth orchids are beautiful and their blossoms last for a long time.

If local, one of my favorite places,Cactus and Tropicals not only has an excellent selection of moth and other orchids, but they also have Utah native perennials, shrubs and trees, water wise plants suited to a desert landscape. We do live in a desert! Let’s keep this fact in mind when landscaping and be sure to check on their water wise plants when landscaping this spring (only weeks away)! Water conservation is everyone’s responsibility.

Focus on beauty. Tend the orchids, plant the garden, save water as you do, “and it is approx. seventy-three degrees within my household. Thank you.”

Owen

Greetings,

Spectacular storms right?! I hope ya’ll have been able to enjoy the snow, rain and sunshine in this state of the date this February.

Through the usual pollution it is easy to forget how beautiful Utah can be.

They call it Zion. I agree that overall it is a great place to live. With that however, I don’t think you will disagree with me that it is time to start refining Zion in a few ways; some of the most obvious are reducing air pollution, eliminating poverty and homelessness, treating the opioid epidemic, taking a more compassionate approach to and eliminating the stigma of brain disorders, (mental illness) reducing depression rates and healing tension between split cultures.

But that beautiful sunny morning after the storm gave me some hope in more ways than one and I hope it did for you also. Below are some photos of reminders in photo form of how beautiful Utah can be, and is beneath the yuck. Yes, we do have options for the above issues. Everyone from senators to every citizen have a responsibility.
Education, understanding and seeing clearly.

Regarding air pollution here are a few tips:

With the exception of traffic lights, don’t idle your car
Buy cars that are more eco-friendly such as hybrids, electric, or natural gas vehicles
Vote locally for parties/individuals who are concerned about Utah’s air and who will take steps toward improving it
Car pool and combine errands into one single trip
Utilize public transportation. Resolve to take public transit to school or work at least once a week. The frontrunner and trax are handy and efficient and cover much of the state.

But while you’re at all of that, look at those fantastic clouds! I hope they inspired you the way they did me. White, puffy clouds, the best kind. Notice how crisp and clear they look without that soapy-water-oil filmy appearance where you can’t tell the difference between the clouds and the sky. Oh wait, that is the sky because there are no clouds today!
“Wait…Are you sure?”
You know that’s not really an exaggeration.

So, believe it or not, these spectacular scenes were less than 10 minutes from where I live. Phragmites, dog, clouds, lichens, fences, trees, bird feeder, day, night, moon, sun, snow, enjoy the photos:

Whether near or far, where will the well-being of yourself and the planet take you?
-Owen