Greetings!

I'm talking Greetings!

Not the salutation - The colorful pot or pots of flowers as you walk to the front door that seem to say "Hey there, Hi there, Ho there!" I've always believed that Greetings are essential to creating a happy, healthy home. They can put you in a good mood instantly!

If you follow Feng Shui, a Greeting, particularly a pot of healthy red blooms can usher a whole host of good stuff into your home, the least of which is money. Conversely, Feng Shui also warns against half-dead plants by your door, so if you've got that goin' on, toss them in the green bin TODAY!

My newest Greeting is this pot of ivy geraniums that I got from the grocery store.

This was actually supposed to be a hanging pot, but I took the hangers part off. I had every intention of repotting the plant into a cute terra cotta pot, but the plastic pot the plant came in was so innocuous I decided to leave it as it. I did remove the price sticker, though, because it was on what I determined was the front of the pot. Otherwise I would have left it.

Oh, and the Chinese garden stool was a freebie I snagged at the El Cerrito Recycling Center. A guy was getting rid of it and gave it to me when I told him I'd always wanted one. I'll eventually spray paint it a different color. But for now, it works!

I have a very narrow front door area, which is why I've never had a plant right next to the door. Serendipitously, I dropped the stool there with every intention of bringing it into the house, but then I liked the way it looked by the front door. I liked it even more with the plant on top!

(What I don't like, though, is that my doormat is now off kilter. But I've decided to let that go for now.)

Here's the important thing to about Greetings. They're not forever. Please don't spend a lot of money on them! Mine get changed out or dumped into the green waste bin every few months. Greetings are a sanctioned fling with color! Choose your plants by what type of exposure they will get, and water them frequently as pots tend to dry out quickly. Other than that, the sky's the limit!

Happy Greetings!