Spring fever
Outside there was a clear blue sky and although the sun was shining it was quite cold. Inside, grandma was busy watering the plants.
“Some plants are so dry from the heating, I will give them special treatment,” she told Rose.
She walked with the plants to the utility room where she grabbed a bucket.
“What special treatment are you going to give them, grandma?” Rose asked.
“I’m going to fill the bucket with water and put the plant with the inner pot in the bucket,” she said. “Do you know, she continued, that when you hear the bubbles you know that the plant is still alive?”
Grandma carefully took out the inner pot and put it in the bucket of water. Rose came close and said in surprise, “I hear the bubbling of the plant.”
Grandma smiled and started working on the other plant, taking out the inner pot and the saucer at the bottom of the pot and cleaning the outer pot.
Rose asked, “Why is there an upside-down saucer in there?”
“That is for the evaporation of the water, the plant is kept moist in this way and then the plant is not as affected by the dry air from the heating,” said grandma.
Grandma also cleaned the outside pot there. “Rose, Grandma asked, would you like to see if the plant in the bucket has finished bubbling yet?”
“I can’t hear anything anymore,” Rose said.
Great, then you can take the plant out, let it drain well and then put it back in the outside pot.
Back in the living room, the plants were put back in their place.
Rose looked admiringly at the planter that separated the living room from the dining room. The planter was full of flowering plants and an ivy growing against the wooden screen.
“Nice,” said grandma proudly. She pointed to the other planter on the other side of the room and said, “The little plants you see there are tomatoes and carrot plants.
“I didn’t know you could plant vegetables indoors,” Rose said.
“From February onwards this is a great way to start sowing vegetables, and you can do that in your house too,” grandma replied. “I’ll put them out in the garden later, when it’s no longer freezing.”
Sara walked in and said, “Shall we go to the park, the weather is so nice?
“Yes, ” said Rose, “even though it’s cold. I get the spring fever”. “Let’s celebrate early spring.”
