Hoya cv. 'Mathilde' is growing like crazy!  'Mathilde' is one that seemed a little "iffy" last late summer.  It just didn't feel happy.  I believe it was last summer that I moved it up to a larger pot (maybe it was late fall the year before) and I have a feeling it was not pleaed about the move.  So in the fall, I took a couple cuttings and trimmed back the lanky growth that hadn't filled out (part of what made if feel unhappy) and I hung it in the window to the left of my kitchen sink.  This is a spot where I keep a few that I want to keep a close eye on.  It must be happy now because it's got all kinds of new growth and looks like it's saying, "This is my year to shine!"  YAY!

Also in that window is compacta.  I have such a hard time with growing compacta because it wants to get too dry and shrivel.  A year or so ago, I threw out most of what was left of my green compacta and took some cuttings to restart and try again.  I've got a few pieces in one of the white 5" hanging pots and it seems to be doing fine right now.  Then a few weeks ago, I threw out my big variegated compacta after starting a few cuttings off of it.  Those cuttings have recently come out of the aquarium so I'm not 100% confident that they'll make it.  We'll see...  It seems like some of those species everyone else can grow I have difficulty with!

I took down my 'Minibelle' today to water and give it a VF-11 bath - I've been waiting for it to start growing.  I think I see some growth bumps starting here and there.  They aren't big enough to call "nubbins" yet - just little bumps on the stems that look a little greener than the stems themselves.  I hope that means it's going to take off.  Thos long-leaved Hoyas are so appealing to me and I'm always so thrilled when they're growing and doing well.  And they all seem to bloom pretty easy...

And speaking of the long leaved ones, wayetti in both the north kitchen window and in the sunroom are growing.  My big one is in that other kitchen window as it hasn't been happy for a long time.  My plan is to whack it up and start new plants this spring - plants I can sell at my cactus club.  IMO, wayetti is one best grown small rather than in giant pots like the EA one I started with.  In small pots, it's a much more interesting plant.  Here are the two small ones I'm growing now...

I've always loved how the one in the sunroom (above in the little turtle pot) gets black edges - that's because that one gets brighter light.  The other one is in my north kitchen window and really doesn't get any direct light at all.

I actaully found a bud forming on my callistrophylla a few days ago.  It's very tiny - in all honesty, I would probably be happier if it would put its energy into new leaves.  The leaves of callistrophylla just knock my socks off!  One of my favorite photos...

But the flowers are pretty showy, too...

I can't wait for it to warm up enough to put plants out.  I'm thinking of putting some hooks in a big branch in my backyard tree to hang some Hoyas out there.  The biggest problem with that is that it's one of those pine trees that sheds the little needles everywhere, and anything growing under it ends up with them in the pot.  So I'm trying to think of some kind of screen or something I can put over the pots to catch that stuff - something that doesn't block the light, but that the needles won't go through.  Hmmm...

Talked to Wes today.  That cough really is worrisome...  He's just got so much going on with his health right now, I'm sure he must feel like he's falling apart.  I call him to see how he's doing, but then I worry that having him repeat how he's experiencing this problem or this pain, or that doctor is saying this or that, or they're doing this test... all this attention to it is just bringing more of it.  So today I tried to stay away from the topic once he said he was feeling better.  Talk about other things going on - how warm it is here today.  Oh, about Lucy's massive shit-explosion in the bedroom.  OMG I came home to such a mess...  You can always find things to talk about, but I know when you feel crappy, it's hard to give your attention to anything else...

Anyway, more highlights to come!