Squashing Them Mealy Bugs (2 week Update)

Ovidia--every other Tuesday 

It's 2 weeks on from my plant rescue and both the adenium and I are still alive!

Look at all its new shoots!

I think she's decided to live after all. 

We've been finding white crawling things here and there but I've been squishing them with apologetic human guilt (yes, you are a valid part of Nature but you're hurting this plant under my care so as another valid part of Nature I'm squishing you) and lots and lots more green buds and leaves have appeared. Just look!

The life force is strong in this one! I can't wait to see what colour her flowers come out. They could be anything from dark red to pale pink, yellow, pure white or anything in between.

I haven't repotted it yet though, or even bought the good drainage potting mix (thanks to all the recommendations I know what to get, but I really need to get through this round of edits first)

But I think we've pulled through the worst of things.

I'm still doing daily bug checks and am gradually cleaning bug and ant detritus off her trunk and branches. 

And once I find out what colour her flowers are I might even get another adenium to keep her company.

Unfortunately some evil white mites did sneak in, using her as their trojan horse. 

In the last couple of weeks I found them moving in on  my kaffir lime plant and saan choy (slippery veg) but have managed to beat them back.

But aside from damage control, I've not been doing much for my plants or anything, really. Because I'm on my last edit before sending in next year's book. I suspect most people reading this (if you still have time to read) know how this feels! 

And as so often happens despite my best intentions, I've been trying to work in a fairly major last minute plot tweak because I saw something in the book cover design (which I love) that could work so well as a delicious clue to it. And though a small tweak it's leading to a slew of petty but necessary changes.

Between that and the War against the Mealy Bugs, I've been exercising and sleeping less than I'd like. And today I'm missing yoga in order to write this and still get through my day's edits. 

Not smart, I know. And not a complaint. I love all this. Even the grind. And the 'high pressure' is for a short time only.

Missing my yoga practice means missing centring time as well as moving time (reminder: Non attachment means non attachment to non-attachment practice time too, right?) but I'm trying to stay on track in other ways.

I walk up and down the stairs or do sun salutations between editing pomos, keep up with my DuoLingo and read for an hour a day--

though lately even that feels sad because I've been re-reading Wolf Hall in memory of Hilary Mantel and Cold Is The Grave in memory of Peter Robinson.

All the best with your own projects if you're reading this. Small steps while in grind mode add up to giant swathes long term. 

And if we're struggling that means we're alive--which is still a great state to be in!