Love, Peace and Plants!

When we opened Borrowed Earth Cafe we wanted to re-create the same feeling that exists in our home--after all, we were going to spend most of our waking life there.

We decided that we wanted to have some plants, but we both have a mild case of Houseplantophobia--the certain dread that we will inadvertently kill a plant. We have some plants in our home, but they seem to be able to derive nutrients out of thin air, as we often neglect to water them.

"Wouldn't it be great if we attracted someone into our life that knew how to care for plants and who could help us, plant-wise?" we said to each other.

It turns out that one of our Meetup members, Karen Woytowich is exactly what we needed.

Karen, it turns out, has been friends with plants since she was knee high to a ficus tree.

Back in Kindergarten, she recalls bringing home a seedling in one of those single-serving milk cartons--her first horticultural experience. It was a memorable day for her. She even remembers what she was wearing that day: A blue denim matching shorts and shirt set with a red bandanna trim, she told us smiling nostalgically.

Later, in high school, Karen grew sunflowers in the back yard that astounded her neighbors.

"I really didn't do anything special, " Karen says in her modest way.

Apparently, a love of all things growable runs in the family.

"My grandpa had this awesome garden that he kept alongside his garage," she said. "He used to give tours back there."

How can you not love Karen?

Right inside our entrance door, Karen accented our little water fountain with a bamboo plant in a earthen pot that is a botanical nod to our bamboo floors.


                                                                  The Bamboo Plant in Our Entrance

Karen shrugged when Kathy & I told her how much we loved it.  "I put it by my front door and trained it to like the cold before I brought it here...so it could get used to the door opening and closing."

We never would have thought of that.

"What else would you like?" she asked.

"I love bonsai plants," I admitted. "But aren't they hard to care for?"

Karen shook her head. "Where do you want it?" she wondered.

We pointed over to the little gong on our counter next to the amethyst crystal and the glass globe.

"Okay," she said.