0:01

Welcome to Bedtime

0:03

Stories for Everyone,

0:07

in which nothing much

0:09

happens, you feel

0:11

good, and then you

0:14

fall asleep. I'm

0:17

Catherine Nikolai. I

0:20

create all the stories you

0:22

hear and nothing much

0:25

happens with audio

0:27

engineering by Bob Witttersheim.

0:31

We give to a different charity each

0:34

week, and this

0:36

week we are giving to Showers

0:39

for All. The

0:42

Showers for All Mobile trailers

0:44

provide showers and laundry

0:46

to those living on the streets of Denver. Full

0:50

service bathrooms and multiple washers

0:52

and dryers deliver

0:54

critical and often forgotten

0:56

services to those

0:59

struggling with homelessness and poverty.

1:02

Learn more about them in our show notes. If

1:07

you need more nothing

1:09

Much in your life,

1:11

well, we've been working on that. We

1:15

have a daytime version of our show,

1:18

perfect for raining in

1:21

anxiety and generally making

1:23

you feel good. It's

1:26

called Stories from the Village of

1:28

Nothing Much, and there are already

1:30

about thirty episodes waiting

1:33

for you on any podcast app. We

1:37

also have a morning meditation show

1:39

called First This ten

1:41

Minutes Down to Earth mindfulness

1:44

Practice. You can subscribe

1:47

to our premium feeds for bonus

1:49

and extra long episodes, and

1:52

treat yourself to our wind Down box

1:55

full of full size products that

1:57

I love. Links

2:00

for all of these are in

2:02

our show notes. Now,

2:07

a human mind is a wandering

2:10

mind. It's

2:12

just part of our programming, and

2:16

it's the wandering bit that

2:18

often keeps us up at night. If

2:22

we can give your brain something

2:25

gentle and pleasant

2:27

to focus on, we

2:30

can build a reliable response.

2:34

We can make sleep something you

2:37

can depend on. All

2:40

you need to do is listen. I'll

2:43

tell the story twice,

2:46

and I'll go a little slower the

2:48

second time through. If

2:52

you wake again in the night, turn

2:54

it right back on. And

2:57

if you are new to this, have

3:00

some patience. Habit building

3:02

takes time. Our

3:05

story tonight is

3:08

called Lady Bugs and

3:10

New Leaves, and it's

3:12

a story about a day in the yard at

3:15

the potting bench. It's

3:17

also about learning to read the leaves

3:20

of plants to understand

3:23

what they need. Things

3:26

found in the checkout line of the hardware

3:28

store, shiny

3:30

red wings with black dots,

3:35

and recognizing that from time

3:37

to time we all

3:39

need a fresh start.

3:46

Now, set

3:48

aside anything you've been looking at

3:51

or playing with, Switch

3:54

off the light and slide

3:57

down into your sheets.

4:02

Get as comfortable as you can. You

4:08

have done enough for

4:11

the day. Really

4:15

it was enough. Nothing

4:18

else is needed from you. Draw

4:22

a deep breath in through your

4:24

nose, out

4:28

through the mouth, nice

4:34

one more breathe in out

4:39

with sound. Good

4:49

ladybugs and new

4:51

leaves. Looking

4:55

at the weather this morning, I

4:59

thought it was likely to be the

5:02

perfect day for a chore i'd

5:05

been meaning to get to for a while.

5:10

Once a year or so, I

5:13

repot all my house

5:15

plants, and if

5:18

possible, I'd

5:20

do this outside.

5:24

I'd learned that lesson the

5:27

hard way one

5:29

February weekend, when

5:33

I'd gotten a bit of cabin fever

5:36

and thought that if

5:39

I laid out enough

5:41

old sheets a

5:43

newspaper, I

5:46

could repot a dozen plants

5:49

without making much of a mess.

5:54

Well, in fact, I had

5:56

made much of a mess

6:00

and had the muddy sheets to prove it.

6:06

Since then, I'd aimed

6:08

for warm weather for repotting,

6:12

and it seemed better for

6:15

the plants too. They

6:19

had most of the growing season

6:21

ahead of them to get

6:24

used to their new digs,

6:27

to grow roots down deep,

6:31

and enjoy the fresh soil when

6:34

they needed it most. To

6:38

day would be sunny all

6:41

day, but over

6:43

night we were predicted to

6:46

have a slow, steady rain.

6:51

I liked to let my houseplants

6:54

have a few days outside

6:56

now and then to

6:59

sit in the rain and

7:01

feel the wind on their stems.

7:06

So today they would get a fresh

7:08

repotting, and

7:10

then a long drink and

7:13

some fresh air. I

7:17

set up at my potting bench in

7:19

the backyard. A

7:23

thing that sounds fancier

7:25

than it was. I'd

7:29

spotted it on the side of the road

7:32

a few summers back, a

7:36

work bench on long legs

7:41

so that you could stand comfortably

7:44

when you worked at it.

7:48

It had clearly come out of someone's

7:51

garage

7:54

and had a free sign taped to

7:56

it, a torn

7:58

out piece of paper from

8:02

a spiral bound notebook with

8:05

the word written in grease pencil.

8:11

I'd pulled my car over, I'm

8:15

taking a look at it. I

8:19

have a penchant for sad

8:21

furniture set out by

8:23

the road, specially

8:28

anything that I could sand or

8:31

repaint or varnish. I

8:36

loved old tables, particularly

8:41

little side tables

8:44

that looked like they'd been made

8:46

in someone's garage or workshop

8:50

one offs. I

8:53

hated to think that there was

8:56

just one like it in the world,

9:00

and that it might disappear. I

9:04

had, however, learned

9:08

that sometimes there is a very

9:10

good reason that

9:13

something is set out for the trash

9:16

as pieces fall apart while

9:19

I tried to load them into my car.

9:24

Just because something is handmade

9:28

doesn't necessarily mean it is

9:30

well made, And so it

9:32

was for the potting bench.

9:38

By the time i'd gotten it home, it

9:41

was already coming apart. But

9:47

since I was only going to mix

9:49

soil and vermiculate on it,

9:53

I figured it was worth a little

9:55

elbow grease to

9:58

see if I could bring it back to I

10:03

took some wood scraps from

10:05

the garage and some long

10:08

nails and hammered

10:10

things together inexpertly,

10:13

and it mostly worked.

10:17

I put it against the side of the garage,

10:21

propping it up on patio stones

10:23

for stability. Along

10:28

its back, I attached

10:30

an old piece of lattice,

10:33

the kind that morning glories climb

10:35

up. It

10:39

gave me a place to hang my trowels

10:42

and spool of twine.

10:46

I'd added a shelf underneath

10:49

the work surface, where

10:53

I stored a few pots and

10:56

larger tools, and

10:59

for the price I'd paid, namely

11:02

none, it had served me

11:04

very well. The

11:08

bench was in the shade this afternoon

11:11

as I eased my ponytail palm

11:15

out of its slightly too small pot.

11:21

I used to be a not

11:23

very successful houseplant

11:27

parent. Frankly,

11:30

I'd tried not to make direct

11:32

eye contact with my plants

11:35

because it seemed if they knew I was in

11:37

the room, they'd

11:40

turn brown and die instantly.

11:44

Then a friend had given me some

11:47

helpful advice. Look

11:51

at the leaves. She said, if

11:55

they are thin, that

11:57

is a sign the plant

11:59

evolved in a tropical environment,

12:03

so it would get filtered sun

12:06

through the canopy, and

12:08

it wouldn't need to store water in

12:10

its leaves because there would

12:12

be plenty in the soil. It

12:17

wants less sun and more

12:20

water. If

12:23

the leaves are thick, like

12:25

on a succulent, it

12:28

means it grew up in the desert, it

12:31

got lots of sun and

12:33

stores water in its leaves because

12:36

it might go a long time without

12:39

any in the soil. It

12:43

had seemed obvious once it was

12:45

set out loud, but it

12:48

had truly made me much

12:50

more confident about

12:52

taking care of my plants. I

12:57

found most of my plants needed

12:59

more sun and less water, and

13:03

I'd learned to aerate the soil

13:05

once a month or so with

13:07

an old chopstick or pencil.

13:11

I'd punch holes through the dirt

13:14

to break up clumps and

13:16

help the water reach the roots. Butter,

13:20

and of course, I'd started

13:23

repotting regularly,

13:27

another obvious but misst

13:30

important facet of their care.

13:36

If I kept pouring water through

13:39

the same few cups of soil, of

13:42

course I'd eventually wash

13:45

all the minerals and nutrients

13:48

out of it. Eventually

13:52

there would be nothing left for

13:54

the plant.

13:58

As I fitted the palm down

14:00

into a deeper pot with

14:02

fresh black soil, I

14:06

thought about how good it

14:08

must feel for the plant.

14:13

Space, food,

14:17

fresh air, a

14:20

caring hand to help. Those

14:24

things certainly made me feel good.

14:30

I set her down in the grass a

14:33

bit away from the edge of the garage

14:36

so that she would catch some of the rain

14:39

that would fall overnight, and

14:44

noticed the bright green new

14:46

leaves that were

14:48

sprouting from the center of

14:51

her ponytail. It

14:54

was something else my friend had said

14:57

when I'd worried my plants doing

15:00

well. If

15:03

there is new growth, they're

15:05

healthy. When

15:09

I turned back to the bench with

15:12

the next plant in my hands,

15:16

I spotted a ladybug resting

15:19

on the handle of my cultivator. I

15:24

set the striped dracana down

15:27

and leaned in close to stare

15:30

at my new friend. Her

15:34

bright red shell with

15:36

its seven black dots was

15:39

vibrant and beautiful.

15:43

Ladybugs are good for gardens,

15:47

and I was hoping that this one would

15:50

invite some of her friends to come

15:52

and stay. I

15:56

had a little ladybug house hanging

15:59

from a hook on the trellis. I'd

16:03

bought it on an impulse while

16:06

standing in line at the hardware store.

16:11

It had only cost a few bucks,

16:15

and up until now it had

16:17

been vacant.

16:21

I rested my hand beside

16:23

the ladybug and

16:26

let her crawl slowly up my

16:28

finger, and

16:31

I moved her up to the house. I

16:36

took a moment, but she eventually

16:39

crawled into one of the shallow divots

16:43

I was painted to match her wings.

16:48

I smiled as I went back

16:50

to my work, reminding

16:53

myself that

16:55

from time to time, we

17:00

all need to be repotted ladybugs

17:08

and new leaves. Looking

17:13

at the weather this morning, I

17:17

thought it was likely to be the

17:19

perfect day for

17:22

a chore i'd

17:24

been meaning to get to for a while.

17:30

Once a year or so, I

17:33

repot all my house

17:36

plants, and

17:39

if possible, i'd

17:41

do this outside.

17:47

I'd learned that lesson the hard

17:49

way. One February

17:52

weekend, when

17:55

I'd gotten a bit of cabin fever

18:00

and thought that if I laid

18:02

out enough old sheets

18:05

and newspaper, I

18:09

could repot a dozen plants

18:12

without making much of a mess. Well,

18:19

in fact, I had made much

18:22

of a mess and

18:25

had the muddy sheets to prove it. Since

18:31

then, I'd aimed for warm weather

18:34

for repotting. It

18:38

seemed better for the plants too.

18:43

They had most of the growing

18:45

season ahead of them to

18:49

get used to their new digs,

18:54

to grow roots down deep and

18:58

enjoy the fresh soul when

19:02

they needed at most.

19:06

Today would be sunny

19:09

and warm all day, but

19:14

overnight we were predicted

19:16

to have a slow, steady

19:19

rain. I

19:24

liked to let my houseplants

19:27

have a few days outside

19:29

now and then, to

19:32

sit in the rain and

19:35

feel the wind down their stems.

19:41

So today they would get a

19:44

fresh repotting, and

19:48

then a long drink and

19:51

some fresh air. I

19:56

set up at my potting bench in

19:58

the backyard a

20:02

thing that sounds fancier

20:05

than it is. I'd

20:10

spotted it on the side of

20:12

the road a few summers

20:15

back. A

20:18

work bench on long

20:20

legs so

20:23

that you could comfortably stand

20:26

when you worked at it.

20:30

It had clearly come out of

20:32

some one's garage

20:34

and had a free sign taped

20:36

to it, a

20:39

torn out piece of paper from

20:42

a spiral bound note book, the

20:47

word written in grease

20:49

pencil. I'd

20:54

pulled my car over and

20:57

taken a look at it. I

21:02

have a penchant for

21:04

sad furniture set out

21:07

by the road, especially

21:11

anything that I

21:13

can sand or repaint or

21:16

varnish.

21:20

I love old tables,

21:24

particularly little side tables

21:29

that look like they've been made in

21:31

someone's garage or

21:33

workshop one

21:37

offs. I

21:39

hated to think that there

21:42

was just one like it in

21:45

the world, and

21:48

that it might disappear. I

21:53

had, however, learned

21:56

that sometimes there

21:58

is a very good reason

22:02

that something is set out for

22:04

the trash. When

22:07

pieces fall apart

22:10

as I tried to load them into

22:13

my car, just

22:18

because something is handmade

22:22

doesn't necessarily mean

22:25

it is well made,

22:28

and so it was for the potting

22:30

bench. By

22:35

the time I had gotten it home, it

22:38

was already coming apart.

22:44

But since I was only going

22:46

to mix soil and vermiculate

22:49

on it, I

22:52

figured it was worth a little

22:54

elbow grease to

22:58

see if I could bring it back to life.

23:04

I took some wood scraps from the

23:06

garage and

23:09

some long nails

23:13

and hammered things together inexpertly,

23:18

and it mostly

23:21

worked. I

23:24

put it against the side of the garage,

23:30

propping it up on patio stones

23:33

for stability. Along

23:39

its back, I

23:41

attached an old piece of lattice,

23:46

the kind that morning glories

23:49

climb up. It

23:52

gave me a place to

23:55

hang my trowels and

23:58

spool of twine.

24:03

I'd added a shelf underneath

24:06

the work surface where

24:10

I stored a few pots and

24:13

larger tools,

24:18

and for the price I'd paid, namely

24:21

none,

24:24

it had served me very well. The

24:30

bench was in the shade this

24:32

afternoon as

24:35

I eased my ponytail palm

24:39

out of its slightly too

24:42

small pot. I

24:47

used to be a not

24:50

very successful houseplant

24:53

parent. Frankly,

24:57

I'd tried not to make direct

25:00

eye contact with my plants,

25:05

because it seemed if they knew I

25:07

was in the room, they'd

25:09

turn brown and

25:12

die instantly. Then

25:17

a friend had given me some helpful

25:20

advice. Look

25:23

at the leaves, she said, if

25:27

they are thin, that

25:30

is a sign the plant evolved

25:34

in a tropical environment, so

25:38

it would get filtered sun through

25:41

a canopy, and

25:44

it wouldn't need to store water in

25:46

its leaves because

25:49

there would be plenty in the soil,

25:53

so it wants less

25:55

sun and more water. If

26:01

the leaves are thick, like

26:05

on a succulent, it

26:08

means it grew up in the desert, it

26:12

got lots of sun and

26:15

stores water in its leaves

26:18

because it might go a long time

26:21

without any in the soil. That

26:26

had seemed obvious once

26:28

it was said out loud, but

26:31

it had truly made me more

26:33

confident about

26:36

taking care of my plants. I'd

26:41

found most of my plants needed

26:43

more sun less

26:46

water, and

26:49

I'd learned to aerate the soil

26:52

once a month or so with

26:56

an old chopstick or pencil.

27:00

I'd punch holes through the dirt

27:03

to break up clumps

27:06

and help the water reach the roots

27:08

better. And

27:11

of course I'd

27:13

started repotting regularly,

27:18

another obvious but missed

27:22

important facet of their

27:24

care. If

27:29

I kept pouring water

27:32

through the same few cups

27:35

of soil, of

27:38

course I'd eventually

27:41

wash all the minerals and

27:43

nutrients out of it.

27:49

There would be nothing left for the plant.

27:55

I fitted the palm

27:58

down into a deeper pot

28:02

with fresh black soil,

28:05

and thought about how good it

28:07

must feel to the plant.

28:14

Space, food,

28:17

fresh air, a

28:20

caring hand to help those

28:25

things certainly made me feel

28:27

good. I

28:31

set her down in the grass a

28:35

bit away from the edge of

28:37

the garage

28:40

so that she would catch some of

28:42

the rain that would

28:44

fall over night. I

28:49

noticed the bright green new

28:51

leaves that

28:54

were sprouting from the center of

28:56

her ponytail. There

29:01

was something else my friend had

29:03

said when I'd worried

29:06

my plants weren't doing

29:08

well. If

29:12

there's new growth, they're

29:15

healthy. When

29:20

I turned back to the bench

29:24

with the next pot in my hands,

29:28

I spotted a ladybug resting

29:33

on the handle of my cultivator.

29:39

I set the striped dracana

29:41

down and

29:44

leaned in close to

29:47

stare at my new friend. Her

29:52

bright red shell, with

29:56

its seven black dots,

30:00

was vibrant and beautiful.

30:06

Ladybugs are good for gardens,

30:10

and I was hoping this

30:13

one would invite some

30:15

of her friends to

30:17

come and stay. I

30:23

had a little ladybug house hanging

30:27

from a hook on the trellis.

30:32

I'd bought it on an impulse

30:35

while standing in line

30:38

at the hardware store. It

30:45

had only cost a few bucks,

30:48

and up until now it had

30:51

been vacant I

30:56

rested my hand beside

30:59

the lady and

31:01

let her crawl slowly up

31:04

my finger, and

31:07

I moved her up to the house. I

31:12

took a moment, but eventually

31:15

she crawled into

31:18

one of the shallow divots painted

31:22

to match her wings. I

31:28

smiled as I went

31:30

back to my work, reminding

31:34

myself that from

31:37

time to time, we

31:40

all need to be repotted.

31:46

Sweet dreams,