We have three salt-water reef aquariums here, one in Alzheimer’s, one in the Health Care Center and one in Assisted Living. They all started out the same with “living rock” and ocean fish that normally live among the plants and invertebrates that actually spend their lives attached to the rock – hence the name, living rock. Each tank has developed its own personality as time went by. At various times one would be doing better than the others would.

Our tank “Downstairs” in Assisted Living recently did something that is very rare. In fact Under the Sea who takes care of our tanks says that of all their tanks in northeastern Oklahoma only a couple of others have done this. We recently “birthed” hundreds of starfishes. They are tiny now, no bigger than an eraser, and most have disappeared because they attach to the glass eating the algae and that gets cleaned off each week but a few have survived. There are also numerous baby Feather Dusters in two of the tanks. And yes, they look just like their name.

Not many of us spend much time outside during the winter but one resident, Ruth Boone goes for a daily walk and picks up trash as she goes! Doesn’t that make her an “honorary” member of our Maintenance Crew? It’s about time we had a woman that department

Our Hibiscus has a bloom! Linda Paul brought it here when winter arrived. It is a tropical Hibiscus so it couldn’t stay outside. Ever since then we have been engaged in mortal combat with a bumper crop of aphids that prevented any of the buds from blooming. Until now the aphids were definitely winning. One of the common problems when plants come inside is they are then isolated from natural predators and whatever was eating the aphids was no longer available. The Hibiscus is located by the door as you exit the Ice Cream Parlor.

Our only flowers blooming outside this time of year are our pansies. Roots n’ Shoots has been pressing the flowers to use for various projects. They are perfect for that. Sallie Engelson, our resident “Martha Stewart”, has even found a way to use an artificial arrangement of flowers in her room. She has been cutting a few “flowers” at a time and using them to create her own greeting cards. They’re as pretty as some of those in our Garden Gift Shop.

A local Company was reducing its office space and heard about our Roots n’ Shoots program so they donated 25 Chinese Evergreens to St. Simeon’s. Depending on where they had been growing some need a little work but once our residents have a chance to “make them pretty” we plan to place them with every resident who might enjoy one. They can survive with low to medium light, (like most plants would prefer a window), but it is not an absolute necessity. We’ll even help take care of it if you are unable but would still enjoy having a plant in your room.

Everyone is enjoying the African Violets that are brightening the Downstairs Beauty Salon. Those are Fran Lewis’s little pets and she is sharing them with us. They seem to have found the perfect location because they are starting to bloom. And lots of buds have also been spotted on the Gardenia near the Assisted Living aquarium. Can Spring be far behind?

Proofread carefully to see if you any words out. :)