Tuesday, January 31, 2012

STINKY STINKY PRETTY and PSALM 23 UPDATE

I have been doing amazingly well with my Psalm 23 I think. I think I may get another miracle and have it done for the March 01 birthday!!
It truly is becoming very beautiful.
Several have commented that the border is not as hard as it appears. I have been giving it a lot of great thoughts as I am stitching the words yet as to how I should go at it.
Only MY mother would send my brother off to buy her a single flower bulb that cost $80!!! I just want to know how much she is going to have to pay to have her home fumigated!! This flower is called a "Voodoo Lily". It is truly exquisite to view. However, it gives off a stench only possibly compared to a houseful of dead mice!! It is horrible!! It truly stings your eyes, nose and mouth and takes your breath away!!
I took my mother supper last night and I could not stay long enough to eat with her. I felt like I was actually eating this awful stench!! She is just lucky it is so cold outside or she would have every fly in the state of Iowa in her home abiding on this thing.
And, it is no little thing either. I did not care to have my picture taken today, but mother insisted I stand beside it to show how high it truly has grown. I am almost six feet tall, however, I now can no longer stand up straight. My brother had to brace the bottom of this stalk. You evidently have to keep this dormant in your basement from the time you dig it up in your yard in the fall until early spring. After it blooms and the weather warms up you plant it outside for the summer. It does very little outside, but that is how you keep this atrocity. I for one sure would not!!
Wish I was better with camera as pictures are sideways and a bit hard to view. Mother has several small "babies" from her bulb sitting at the base of it.
Mother tells of my while my father was still alive (they had other bulbs like this years ago even, just much cheaper to buy) years ago and he forgot about this "thing". He had placed it in a large dark storage room in the basement. When spring arrived so did this terrible stench and the hunt was on to find the dead critter some where in the house. My mother had every one looking in every inch of the home before they remembered the "thing" in the storage room.
The Quad-Cities is located near us about a hour away. I recently read in the newspaper where some people owned these "lilies" there. They have a beautiful indoor arboretum in that area and they take their lilies there to display and leave them until the stench has gone away.
These lilies only bloom once a year for about three to four days, thank the good Lord!!







Love and Hugs!!

Deborah











12 comments:

crossstitchbibs said...

I was thinking about you today and wondering how you were progressing with Psalm 23. You are doing marvelous!!!! Keep it up and you will definitely have it done really soon! And that plant is definitely something different - don't think I have ever seen one like it! I am still stitching away on Amazing Grace and I am making some progress but not nearly as much as you on Psalm 23rd. Keep up the good work!!

Emily in NC said...

Psalm is looking so much better. What is that ugly thing called a flower. Cant' imagine the stink, but if you say so, least it will be gone the next time you go over.

Meari said...

Psalm 23 looks great, Deborah. Not sure what to say about the flower. It's an odd looking thing, lol, and I sure wouldn't want the stench in my house if it is as bad as you say.

Nancy M said...

Your Psalm piece is really coming along! You should be so proud of yourself. Now that plant? Holy cow, it's huge and not very pretty either. I can't imagine the size coming from such a small pot.And then stinky on top of it....leave me out!

Carolyn NC said...

Good grief on the flower! But Psalm 23 looks fantastic!

Scooty said...

It is beautiful to look at - glad I can't smell it tho! Your Psalm 23 is really coming along nicely. I hope you are able to do the border on it. Hope you are doing well yourself too. Judi in Phx AZ

Denise SA said...

Do not think I would want one of those flowers even if it was free.Psalm 23 is looking great.

Christina G said...

What a marvelous blessing to have your mother with you. I miss mine very much. Poor plant, it is pretty in a weird sort of way. The Psalm is coming along fabulously. Congratulations on sticking with it.

Unknown said...

Gosh it doesnt look like a real plant, it truly is beautiful

EvalinaMaria said...

Your stitching is lovely. The lily... way to big, not so pretty and way to stinky. It would be a perfect ingredient for a zombie perfume I guess.

Pam in IL said...

All I can say is that lily is "unique" and from your description of the smell, I don't ever want to be in the same room with it!

Great progress on Psalm 23! It looks beautiful!

Katrien said...

your doing an amazing job on Psalm 23.
I still get the message that your mailbox is full when I try to mail you.
Hugs
Katrien