Oh, I like all the warm wellcomes! Thanks!
I have just about 400 Hoyas as I write and my plant collection seems to grow every night ;) My favorite Hoyas include all the ones with big flowers and big leafs. Besides them I really like the new ones; cv Monette, cv Girlei, cv. Optimistic and so on. Even though I haven't seen the flowers yet I have to say that cv. Green Apples (optusifolioides) is my all-time favorite. The flowers are magnificent and I really hope that I'll manage to make my Hoya cv. Green Apple to bloom some day.
It just so much fun to grow Hoyas and reward is overwhelming when all the most wonderful flowers pop up. I just dont seem to have many flowering Hoyas but I havent stopped hoping yet, maybe tomorrow :)
Besides the flowers that rewart me now and the, I've a blast with all the new friends that I've had an apportunity to meet and write to. Hoyas seem to make different people cross all the language barriers to exchange plants and share experiences with each other.
I'm convinced that I will learn a lot from all of you! Maybe I'll learn enought to make all of my Hoyas bloom.
Take care!
Katja
The Swedes started it....
Just wanted to bump this up. Being new, I have been reading a lot of the past posts, trying to catch up and trying to inform myself before asking a lot of questions that may already be answered. Maybe I can get one of my kids to take my picture, and add to it. It is great to have a face to put with a name.
Sara
That would be awesome Sara!!
I hope others do it too. It really is nice getting to see each other.
Ann
Here is a picture that I found in my camera from niece's (the one with the flowers) graduation in June. Sorry, but you get the whole family, I haven't figured out how to crop. I am in the middle back row next to DH. The rest are DH, my son with the patch (9) and my daughter (7). Funny thing my niece and her sister went to Thailand this month for a summer trip, and it was all I could do to not have them looking for hoya cuttings. Would hate for them to have customs troubles though.
Just a little introduction. I am 33years old. I spent several years working in social work field, until I started to seriously question the system that I at one time thought "helpful" After too many sleepless nights, I quit social work, and my husband employed me full time as his "household manager" That involves cooking, cleaning, raising "his" children (when they are trying my patience) "my" children when they are sleeping, and being precocious.
I fell in love with house plants in the fourth grade when an elderly neighbor gave me a cutting of her christmas cactus. I bought my first hoya, an 90+ year old carnosa at an estate sale of an 89 year old lady in 2000. It had originally belonged to her mother. It was wrapped around one of those floor to ceiling light posts (like those shower rods that you squeeze together and then release. Later that year it bloomed, I didn't know it even would untill I kept looking for the glade plug in that I was sure DH snuck in. With 2 dogs and 4 cats and 2 stinky kids, he seems to think the hous is less than fresh. My job as house manager is not as mentally stimulating as it could be, so I turned to researching hoyas and spending a smally fortune of DH's harder earned money on plants! :) (thank you Carol) I now have about 50 diff. hoyas, and have to be discriminating as I strictly grow indoors and want things to look good while making sure the plants are in their most beneficial locations.
Sara
This message was edited Jul 8, 2006 3:59 PM
Sara...it looks as if YOU just graduated from High School!!! What a handsome family....
I look the same...more wrinkles, a bit thinner...hate photos of me....
Carol, you are far too kind ! The picture is just not a close up. Last summer we went to Virginia City (an old ghost town gold mining close to Bozeman) and while riding the steam engine train, DH looked at me and said "Sara, you have lines aroung your eyes. I just noticed them, when did that happen" HA! I asked him if he just realized that we aren't in high school. I guess when you get married at 19, you don't realize you've aged until you really get a good look in the mirror. Thank you so much for the ego boost.
Sara
Ahhhh, beautiful family Sara! Carol's right - you look too darned young to have kids that big.
Ann
Well, I'm not new here, but mostly a lurker. I'm 57 at the end of this month (a Leo, too) and married almost 36 years to the same tolerant DH. I have two human kids, a 23 year old son and 17 year old daughter. Our household also includes a 3 year old epileptic Jack Russell Terrier, a 6 month old Golden Retreiver, a parakeet, a big fish tank and 3 horses!
I've been a hoya addict for at least 25 years as I got my first carnosa back then when we lived in a very sunny house. Once we moved to a very shady house I lost my carnosa...
But we moved back to another sunny house and about 5 years ago another carnosa appeared on my kitchen window sill...and it seems hoyas have now taken over every room in the house (wow, they breed like rabbits ) I wish I could get more of them to bloom, and hope they will once we move from the frigid north (Chicago area) next year down to North East Georgia. We are in the process of building our retirement home down there and there will be LOTS more places to grow hoya's and orchids (another passion of mine). Luckily I married a gardener who understands my "needs" and lets me play plants when ever I get some time.
In my past life I was an accountant and a bird breeder, but those things were many years ago and mostly in the past child rearing lifetime I have been a stay at home mom and "professional volunteer".
Don't have a picture of me alone, and PSP doesn't work on my new computer for some reason, so you will see me in the red coat along with my sister, my son, daughter, niece and nephew in this picture.
I so enjoy everyone here and think this is a incredibly FUN thread....thank you Ms Pimpette for starting this....
Sue M
All Right!!! Glad to see your post and your face, Sue M.!!
Ann
Yes...! And a great red coat...hardly looking 57!!!
What a fun surprise it is to see this thread pop back up to the top of the list!
So neat to see y'all in person! It's always better to know who you're conversing with. Love it!
As I am going back to re read the thread I'm wondering where the heck did Heather go?
Hey Marcy. what a beautiful doll, and the baby in the blanket is a real cutey too.
Ann
K, found the only picture I have that I think is somewhat presentable.....I'll get hubby to take a new one, WITH a Hoya. I have enjoyed every moment of this forum, learned loads already and have waaaaays to go! It started with "regular" gardening and escalated into houseplants/Hoyas/C&S/Plumies and now it seems I have my eyes on Broms! I have enjoyed reading through this thread, makes it a little easier to "see" people when we read the threads!
Dang, Becky, I LOVE the gold shirt and the chandelier earrings!!! What a beautiful woman.
Ann
Why thank you Ann, but it's all just good make-up!! Normally I run around with my hair standing straight up, no make up and pink jammie bottoms with sheep on them! I work from home and see no need to make myself look presentable, however the neighbors do look at me strangely when I am gardening in the aforementioned jammies!
Ok this is me (Lorry) and my husband Chris :) It was taken in West palm Beach when his brother was down visiting :)
About me ..well...let us see :) I am a total animal lover and have 3 dogs and 2 birds. I have promised my husband nothing breathing will come into this house for a while LOL
I love and grow, hoyas, succulents and cactus, philodendrons, gesnersiads and anthiriums :) but also just about anything that comes into my house :)
My husband is a gardening geek also..He is mostly into Palms and other trees :)
We have just signed up to volunteer at the local botanical garden and hope someday to have our own nursery that sells exotic plants and trees :)
~Lorry
Lorry,
You are such a cute couple...and your personality is a match!
Sue
Gad Lorry, Carol & Bob could be your mentors. You guys should all get together. You all have the same ideas.
Marcy
Woops...forgot to add...
Thanks Sara for bunping this up & refreshing my memory on all these wonderful hoya lovers. It is great to see some of the newer people too. You all look just FABULOUS!
LOL at Ann W's remark. Thanks Ann. That little doll in the blanket is about to be 2 next week. Gad how time flys!
Awh thanks Sue..though I think I look goofy in that photo :)
Marc (laugh) So we have found out through chatting. It is sorta creepy how much we both have in common (as do our spouses!)
Great photo Lorry! Nice to meet you and Chris!
I am also a newcomer. Started with one hoya, now have six, and there are so many more that I need! This picture shows me at my job - I am a retired computer programmer and now spend my time volunteering for the county park system's Therapeutic Recreation department. My friend Robert and I have just returned from a four mile trike ride around the park so I look more disheveled than usual, but I do clean up nicely.
Sofi....did you get my email? I had it returned....computers amaze me!!! (= challenge me)
IHey, Lorry, I love those shoes!! I am a real sucker for the pointy-toed pumps too - every since I saw Marilyn Monroe wear some white patent leather ones, I have "collected" them. ;-)
Alright, Sofi! The windswept look is fabulous! There is nothing as refreshing as a cruise on a motorbike!!!
I love how beautiful and different we all are!!!!!!
Ann
I'm not new to Hoyas, but I'm a new paid member to this forum (and it was certainly a good investment!!) Because I'm the picture taker in the family, I've got this one photo from a couple years back I managed to get my hubby to snap of me in the GH with one of my Giant Crown of Thorns...
I'm quickly approaching the big 5-0 (yikes - where does the time GO?!), no kids - just Remo, our 120 lb. German Shepherd (who's the light of my life) and Mark, my husband. I'm in the wedding business - my mother and I own a banqet room and we're caterers. Check out our website if you're planning a wedding...
http://home.earthlink.net/~karensfireside/
It's a fun business and I, foturnately, don't run into too many "bride-zillas" - more common is the "mom-zilla!" But I must add that those are even rare for us. We cater mostly to very wonderful and grateful working-class people - the best to work for! Anyway, I'm glad to be here and it's nice to put faces to the personalities!
Denise in Omaha
Oh, Hooray. It is so nice to see your face, Denise. What a beautiful plant too.
Ann
I just found this picture again and had to add it ~ too cute not to! I had the honor of swimming with these guys when I was back home in Norway, Blåmann here has incredibly bad breath, but cute as can be, all 700 lbs of him!
Ahhhhhh! That is adorable!!!
Ann
LOVE the seal....and your photo Denise. How do you keep polish on your nails...NO, let me rephrase that: how do you keep NAILS working in the Greenhouse??? I have given up!!!
Carol
Welcome Sofi and Denise! Nice to see your smiling faces!
Becky, I would love to swim with a seal! What a HOOT that would be!
Susan
After some hesitation.....(and a little digging).......here's a picture of me in (where else) the kitchen --- taken this past Christmas. Between my husband and I, we have six daughters (ranging in age 16 to 23; 4 are mine, 2 his) so I spent quite a bit of time in the kitchen "feeding the troops".
Yeah, SIX daughters....can you imagine?! Phew - talk about "The House Of Hormones"! ha ha
Yikes, photos of self - must make note to lose weight and appear younger for future photo ops....well, this is me on Christmas Eve last year - just received some pictures from my grandkids and was a little overly excited!! Karen
Betsy, you even look ornery, girl! I can tell you have a zest for life. Good on ya.
Karen, send us another photo, that one is very dark but I can tell you look alot like that crazy sister of yours!
Love love love the photos!!!
Karen, that photo was a bit dark so I "fixed" it a little. Hope you don't mind...?
Christina
Carol - The secret, of course, is acrylic nails and I change the polish weekly. My nail lady must wonder why I always have dirt under my nails!
Betsy - Six girls!! Yikes! I'd hate to have to pay for all those girly clothes!!
Denise in Omaha
Christina - could you "fix" it so I look younger,,,and thinner, too???? You are amazing with the camera - and no, I don't mind!!
Tis good to finally see what you sisters look like.
There is a couple of other sisters on here I don't think we have seen yet. Aren't Tami and Sandy sisters? I don't seem to find their pics here anywhere. Come-on you two, how come you guys are holdin out on us?
Karen, if we don't get to look younger and thinner, you don't either! Besides, we're all perfect as we are anyway!
Great to see you and Betsy!
And yeah, sooooo Tami and Sandy......????
Wonderful new photo's everyone, so nice to meet you all. And Betsy, My DH and I have 6 boys between us !!! But our youngest and my only will be 26 next month, darn sounded like a match made in heaven.
The Seal is just to cute, ewww I can just imagine it's breath... Rotten Fish...
I promise to get a photo. I don't have a scanner or it would be easy.