An out of the office suggestion

for all your spring break travels

What’s the hardest thing about going on a trip to a chilly, rainy climate in March? Packing well enough that you have plenty of warm, comfortable clothes in your carry-on? Packing enough books that you don’t run out of things to read on a six-hour flight (yet can still lift your backpack)? Saying goodbye to your little sister, your cats, and your dad? (Maybe, come to think of it, the hardest part is missed flights/delayed connections/flying standby while schlepping backpacks even more stuffed with books.)

How about your plants? If you have a lot of plants (Bea is up to 27 plant pets in her bedroom), you’re right to worry about leaving them for an extended time. It would be terrible to come home to drooping pothos, shriveled prayer plants, and crunchy bonsai.

So here’s what Bea suggests:

1. First, water your plants really well before you go. Make sure all the soil gets wet but not soaking, and make sure the plants are not sitting in water in their saucers, as that could lead to dreaded root rot.

2. If you don’t have a plant sitter at home, you can move your plants so they’re not right in the sun, where they’ll get thirstier.

3. But if you do have someone at home who can help out, teach them how to water your plants. I don’t water my plants on a schedule—I just check them every day, since they all have different needs. Show your plant sitter how to do a soil check by putting their finger into the soil, about an inch deep (don’t disturb the roots!). If the dirt is dry, it’s time to water. If it’s a little damp, check again tomorrow.

3. Make a friendly reminder sign and put it somewhere your plant sitter can see it, like the bathroom mirror. (You could also move a few of your plants into the bathroom so they can soak up the humidity.)

4. Don’t forget to get your plant sitter a small thank you from wherever you are!

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Bea and I have been at a four-day writing conference in Seattle, soaking up new ideas and getting quality time with friends and colleagues. We can’t wait to tell you about the graphic novels, panel discussions, and readings we got to experience (and the gardens and ramen! wow!). Right now we’re stuck at the airport, waiting on a standby flight to Charlotte. It’s possible we live here now, I just told Bea. In Seattle? she asked. No, here in the airport, I told her. ‘Cause I’m never going throught that TSA line again.

Anyway, one of the best panels we attended was about writing hard stories in children’s, middle grade, and YA books. I’ll tell you more about the panel when we do the round-up of our week (on more sleep, less standby status), but before we go we want to recommend the wonderful book Nothing Special by Desiree Cooper.

Here’s what Bea has to say:

“The illustrations are marvelous. They’re kind of 3-D, made from fabric and textile collage, but really lifelike at the same time. The message was really good too: it’s about a little boy from Detroit who spends summer vacation in Virginia with his Nana and PopPop, and instead of going to the zoo or the movies or McDonald’s they go crabbing and make a kite and look at fireflies. It reminds me of going to Walkerton—except Mamie and Grandpa always give me way more candy.”

We got a copy for Harriet, but I’m going to order another for the cousins. It would be a great Easter-basket book (if you’re into that) or a book to keep on hand for grandparent readalouds. Cooper pointed out the ways that the simple story is a way to remember the annual “reverse migration” that many Northern Black families have taken each summer to visit their families down South. She also pointed out the way small details in the gorgeous illustrations (an Air Force Veteran cap on PopPop, a University of Michigan sweatshirt on Jax) underscore the generational sacrifices and successes of Black families.

It’s just a remarkably sweet, not-preachy, totally unique picture book. Highly recommend ordering it from your local bookstore.

Can’t wait to be home and able to do nothing special again soon!