Orchid Update! - Journal Entry 74 - Two New Discoveries!

Journal Entry 74 - A Couple of New Discoveries ..

I know I literally just wrote a journal entry a few days ago, but I noticed something today that was such a big surprise I had to share it right away. I have no idea how I missed it!

Every day, I water our Vanda Orchids .. Using a bucket of room-temperature, lightly fertilized water. Since they are bare-root, they need this daily plunge bath to maintain a healthy lifestyle. They’ve rewarded us this past year for our care, and now, it looks like it’s going to happen again! Despite seeing them up close every single day, I somehow missed the fact that one of them ..Pachara’s Delight .. Has a two to three inch bloom stem growing out of her foliage. I feel silly for not noticing it sooner, but what an awesome discovery!

Here I was keeping a close eye on the other Vanda with her tiny and not growing bud. I keep waiting for it to grow, but no such luck yet. I circled the tiny bloom stem bus in red. It's pretty hard to see.

Of course, my little helper Mr. Huxley checked out the situation as well.

He’s always curious about everything I do, and the orchids are no exception. Each time I give them their bath, he gives them a close inspection. He used to nibble at the lower leaves, but thankfully, he’s grown out of that phase. I can’t blame him for being interested .. the soaking bucket sits right by the back door, his favorite spot to lie down and peer out at the yard and the lake.

From there, he keeps a close watch for any intruders, whether it’s a wandering goose, rabbit, or something else daring enough to enter his well-guarded territory.

Unexpected Silver Find!

Speaking of discoveries, I also found something small but worth mentioning in my work truck. I have a habit of tossing loose change into a little bin in my center console, and the other day, I decided it was time to clean it out, mostly because I was running out of space! As you can see in the photo above, the area for change storage is pretty small (and let’s be honest, in the near future, change might be a thing of the past anyway), so every now and then, I sift through the pile before relocating it to yet another holding container, before taking it in for cash.

I don’t keep every old coin I come across, but if it contains silver, it gets a closer look. This time, I noticed that one of the nickels looked darker and a bit worn. Sure enough, it was a 1945 silver war nickel!

For those who may not know, wartime nickels (1942–1945) were made with 35% silver due to the need for nickel in wartime production. The easiest way to spot them is by looking for the large mint mark (P, D, or S) over Monticello’s dome on the reverse side. While they don’t hold a huge numismatic premium, they’re still fun to find in the wild, and hey—it’s silver!

It always pays to check your change .. Before cashing it in at the bank or a coin-counting machine. While this little find isn’t exactly life-changing, it’s still an exciting addition to the stack. Not quite as thrilling as another round of Vanda blooms, but I’ll take it!

Until next time!

Two unexpected discoveries in one day .. one in the indoor garden and one in the truck. Not bad! I’ll be keeping an eye on Pachara’s Delight as she continues her bloom cycle and will update again soon.

Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!

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