To every thing there is a season.

I don't have many house plants. I have a beefsteak begonia in my bedroom. A friend of mine gave me a cutting 7 or 8 years ago. Now it's all beefed up, crawling out of the pot, dangling luxuriously in front of the bedroom window. I have a maidenhair fern in the dining room. It's on a pedestal and is temperamental in it's growing. Spurts. That's how it grows.

One Christmas, years ago, I went over to visit my Aunt Velma who lives in Covington. She is the quintessential plantswoman inside and out. On her coffee table in the living room was a tangerine colored Christmas cactus in full bloom. I don't know how old the plant was, but it was huge, robust and vibrant. It captivated all who entered the room. There was not a green stem on the plant that didn't have a long, lush ruffly flower on the end of it.

It is for this reason and this reason alone I keep my Christmas cacti on my window will all year long. I want a Christmas cactus that will captivate a room, my room.

I know it's too early for them to be blooming, but honestly it's ok with me.

I've been so busy these last few months I haven't had time to do a lot of the things I might have done last year. I probably would have see this coming last year and taken the pots to a dark room to delay the blooms.

Sarah is finishing painting her apartment today. She'll be moving in right down the street from me. She just called. She's on her way home and we'll have breakfast together and plan our day. We have a market tomorrow!

Here she is selling bread at the Farmer's Market.

We're coming in to our busiest season. For the story of Shoaf's Loaf Bakery just go to the website. www.shoafsloaf.com