Because 2 days is never enough.

I recently went to visit my family in Santa Barbara. I had my usual, “why in the world am I living in New York???” meltdown. It’s hard not to when I’m out there enjoying 75 degree weather, eating my dad’s yummy cooking, visiting the endless stalls of beautiful fresh fruit and veggies (strawberries, avocados, artichokes!), eating brunch in the yard with my mom, taking long walks on the beach with my best friend, gobbling up delicious homemade Mexican food, etc… And all this in March.

Needless to say, I spent the week of my return feeling very grumpy with the cold weather, and the crowded subways, and my general lack of a back yard full of fruit trees. And I missed my mom, and my dad, and my step-mom, and my friends, and my town in general. Luckily for me, my mom made sure that a bit of Santa Barbara came back to New York with me.

The day before I left, my mom took me around the yard and collected cuttings from her expansive succulent garden. Okay, so, in the interest of full disclosure, I did have a moment where I realized that my mom is on the verge of being a crazy plant lady. She seemed to have what can only be described as unique friendships with each of her plants. But, regardless, it was really nice of her. She wrapped them all up in newspaper and sealed them in a big ziploc bag.

This weekend, after wandering all over Brooklyn on foot trying to find some simple terracotta pots, I found what I was looking for at Home Depot. I came home and gave all the cuttings a new home. And, honestly, they really do bring a little bit of cheer to my day each morning when I see them.

Let’s just hope I keep them alive until my mom gets here in May for some plant rehab.