Aloe Vera Plants

 I have tried to grow Aloe Vera plants in the past and it was a failure.  I do remember a few people having aloe plants growing up:  my maternal grandmother and a family in the neighborhood.

It was definitely my grandmother that introduced me to putting aloe on any kind of wound: scratch, splinter, sunburn, etc.  I think her aloe grew on her screened-in porch.  This was the same area with the porch swing and the patio table where I had a few birthday parties.  I do remember 'snapping beans' on this screened-in porch.  

My grandmother had a pretty good-sized garden that paralleled the driveway up to her yellow house on the hill.  I think most of the green beans came from this garden.  I think.  Not 100% certain but there is a good chance.  My grandmother, mother, and I would sit on the screened-in porch and break off a top of the green bean, pull the thread, flip, break off the other end, pull the thread, and then snap the beans into one-inch pieces.  Later these beans would be canned and stored for the rest of the year.  Yes, the grocery stores definitely had canned green beans and fresh green beans, but I am assuming that my grandmother just did what she knew, what was affordable, and what was comforting.  I think about this a lot.  I think about doing 'simple' things.  Then these simple things sound difficult.

Anyways, I was thinking about aloe a few months ago and how it might seem weird to people that I don't have an aloe plant, or two, or three.  I like to grow things, inside and outside.  It just seems appropriate for me to grow this.  I put a random post on Facebook asking if anybody had any aloe plants that needed a good home.  Thankfully a few people spoke up!

Before visiting Rebecca's house to pick up an aloe, I did find one at a big boxed hardware store that was looking a little sad so I had to get it.  I repotted it and it seems to be doing ok.  Mayor did knock it off the desk once, or twice, and now it lives in the guest room with other plants on their fancy new shelving.

Rebecca gave me an aloe that had a few 'pups'.  Then on a super cold spring day, I found another aloe plant on the outdoor clearance rack at Lowe's.  It looked sad, had 'pups', and it was on sale - had to get it.  I spent a few minutes this morning repotting this one.  It lost a few of its leaves (is it called leaves?).  It is now back with its friends in the guest room on the shelves.  I might put them outside in May.  I looked it up and one is supposed to gently introduce an aloe to the outdoors.  The sun might scorch it.  

Spring makes me feel southern.  More southern than I ever do any other time during the year or in my life.