When The Ferns Spoke to Me and 3 Ways to Kick Cabin Fever

Last Fall, two ferns spoke to me.

Have you had that happen?

I know right? It’s awesome! Isn’t it?

I was at the garden center and found them on clearance for $3.24 each.

They were gorgeous. I mean, not a blemish.

They looked ready for Joanna Gaines , from Fixer Upper, to come scoop them off their precious little feet and position them with distinct flair beside a glass bottle on a gray marble countertop in some darling homeowner’s dream kitchen.

But I digress…these ferns were talking to ME!

ONLY me, folks!

Now I love ferns.

I just love ferns in general with their feathery green textures…

but these were like none I’d ever seen before.

I snatched them up so fast their little fronds quivered.

They were absolutely begging me to take them home.

I’m certain I could hear them say, “Please, please please!”

I didn’t even have to ask them why they wanted to go.

It was just this unspoken thing between us…

you know…the ferns and me…
and I knew they’d be glorious in a specific spot I had chosen for them.

Violins played and angels sang as I thought about how I would arrange them…

after all,

don’t you have a sound track that plays along with your story?

When I got home, I set them down and arranged them just so-so and fluffed their fronds and watered them and loved them.

And they turned brown and shed their little button petals in a manner that would make even the strongest and most confident housewife, weep.

And their fronds got all crispy.

So my sister in law upon hearing my sad and sorrowful tale of fern woe said, “Bring them to me and I’ll see what I can do with them.”

Because y’all, she and plants, they just have this thing.  They listen to her and do what she says and it all turns out really pretty.

And she loved them and coached them to green up and shine.

One day she told me the garden center had gotten some little ferns like the big ones she was trying to revive for me.

So next chance I had, I dropped by the garden center and sure enough there was one tiny precious little Lemon Button Fern all left over and lonesome by itself. It did look a little bedraggled and worse for the wear but I didn’t care.

I snatched it up so fast its little fronds quivered.

And I  took it home.

I’m pretty sure it was also begging me to go.

One morning, recently, when it was cold and snowy and dreary and my heart felt heavy, I looked through the window where I had the little fern on the window sill.

I’m sure it spoke to me.

Maybe in a quiet and hushed tone,

but nevertheless, it said, “Spring is in the air!”

I don’t know why I was so caught off guard its loveliness

and its tiny green voice speaking cheer.

I felt my eyes sparkle as I looked at it.

In that moment I realized,

once again,

how important it is to have cheery comforts

around your home and work space. 

Spring is definitely in the air…
never mind that it feels like 9 degrees

and the sun can’t decide to shine

or the sky grow overcast and snow.

But just go look for a talking fern instead!

And in case you are short on spirit and needing to kick cabin fever to the curb, I’ll leave you with this:

3 Ways to Kick Cabin Fever

1.  Pick up a small plant, succulent or African violet from the garden center to set in a window sill or on your bedside table.
2. Look on Pinterest for ideas and then design a container garden.  As soon as the weather permits, set it by your front door.
3.  Make a slushy in your blender using ice, lemonade and fresh strawberries.  As you sip the yummy slushiness, dream about a hot summer day road trip.