Hello everyone! I've posted several replies to posts here, but they never showed up. Maybe this one will. Thought I should check in and let everyone know I'm still alive in the age of COVID.

Yes, you read the title correctly. Not giving up gardening COMPLETELY, as I could never do that, but I'm taking out all but one of my "outside" gardens (outside the courtyard), and getting rid of most of my potted plants, especially those that have grown too large and cumbersome and don't "spark joy" anymore, or those that can't be left outside during the winter (although we haven't had much winter this year).

In going through them, I've run up on several that were gifts from Gardenwebbers, like my figs and beautiful large cane begonia grown from cuttings from Sylvia, the Confederate Rose grown from seeds from a long-ago member, my Stapelia gigantea corpse flower grown from a cutting gotten in a trade, and I can't forget the Easter cactus, plumeria, dragonfruit and epidendrum orchid grown from cuttings from Glenn. I've had many, many plants over the years grown from seeds gotten in trades or as gifts from GW members. This community has been very good to me.

I've just relinquished my community garden plot that I never really got planted last year, and honestly, have just lost interest in. They have a virus in the soil that means we can't grow tomatoes, peppers, eggplants or potatoes. I really wanted it to grow those things, since I don't really have enough sun to grow them here. I know there are many more things I could grow, but honestly, I've just lost interest in growing edibles at all.

I guess age catches up with you, and what used to be fun and exciting is just physical labor that causes too much pain at some point. That's the point I'm at. I'll be 70 this year. I can't believe it! I'll never stop gardening completely, but I'm ready to downsize drastically to my favorite and most cherished plants that can grow in my courtyard and the one outside bulb and perennial garden.

Of course, it doesn't help when you have an insane neighbor who hates your garden and tries to physically attack you over your plants being too close to "her" fence, which isn't her fence at all, just a fence between the two yards. Ever since she did that, I've lost a lot of interest in my outside gardens. I'm afraid to do anything with them for fear she'll succeed in attacking me next time.

I'm sorry this is so long, but this is a major change in my life and I wanted to share it with all of you. If anyone I know well here is close to Gainesville and wants a free plant or two, let me know. Nothing except my cherished plants are coming inside for cold snaps this year, so what lives lives, and what dies dies.