Some of the best life lessons I’ve learned, have been taught by plants. They don’t ask for much, just a warm place to sit, a little bit of food and some water, but they’re not happy when it gets too hot, or too cold.

This house has a metal roof, and I woke up this morning to the sound of rain. I can clearly hear it rolling down the gutters attached to the outside wall of my writing room as I sit here by the light of day tapping these words to the page. The weather forecast was calling for rain, but I don’t put much trust in the forecast anymore. I’ve seen it change too often, but they give fair warning about the temperature, and we’ve had some cold nights for Texas.

One night recently I stepped out on the front porch, to see if there was anything outside that needed to come in. The temps were going below freezing and most of the plants I had last year are tropical, so they wouldn’t make it through the night. I’d already brought this guy in, but there was one plant left sitting in the yard and it had brought me so much joy last year that I wasn’t ready to lose it. I’ve lost many plants and breakable yard art leaving them outside when the outdoor temp drops. but oh my gosh this plant is huge and in a very heavy clay pot! Living solo, this took some engineering on how to get him from point A to point B.

I knew I couldn’t move that pot, because the last time it was moved it took two men to move it, so that thought was off the table, but …Barb has tools!

It was cold and dark, but I hurried through the gate, into the backyard to step inside my gardening shed for the tools needed to get this guy inside. I keep the plastic container these plants come in for future use in many ways, so I grabbed the biggest one I could find, along with a small shovel and headed back to the front yard. I began by pressing the shovel into the dirt near the wall of the planter going all the way around the plant until I could get up under its roots.

I’d already prepared the container for drainage and added a layer of dirt to place this guy inside. He fit perfectly with just enough room for additional potting soil to settle in for the winter. I put my shovel back in the gardening shed and cleaned up my mess to step inside giving both of us shelter from the cold. The dogs were relieved to see me and surely concerned I was outside at night and in the cold but knew why after seeing the plant. The best I can figure is…if something feeds your heart it will take root and become invaluable, so protect it and bring it inside.

Feature Photo by Justin Zhu on Unsplash