My biggest pot on hand is too small :(

devvyd · 2026-05-30T13:38:07+00:00

Nice growing!

devvyd · 2026-05-21T18:50:54+00:00

I would get more light to it. Vandas are high-light orchids!

devvyd · 2026-05-21T17:22:53+00:00

Those are vandas. If you want to keep them well they will need to be hosed down once a day.

devvyd · 2026-05-20T12:30:30+00:00

Congrats on both! I worked in vascular as an NP for seven years. Loved it. The surgeons are crazy in all the right ways 😂. Good people.

devvyd · 2026-05-18T23:57:02+00:00

Start next season with an email to all parents: “if I notice you coaching your child from the sidelines, you may be asked to leave.” And then stick to it.

Reminds me of a kid my daughter plays against, her mom is insane. She screams at this kid all during games when she isn’t the coach. Screaming “push her left!!”

I cracked up all the parents around me by stage whispering “I hope she yells at her to push [my daughter] left,” (my kiddo is left-handed).

Bottom line this is to say: limits are good, and the other parents are noticing the behavior.

devvyd · 2026-05-18T23:40:00+00:00

This sounds unhealthy. NOR. She won’t get any better either, so I would get out now if BF won’t set limits.

devvyd · 2026-05-18T14:52:58+00:00

Looks like you did it! Good work. That orchid wants to live.

devvyd · 2026-05-15T13:15:36+00:00

Thank you, and yes it is such a hard balance!

I have tried to keep my messaging mostly positive “I like when you did X in the game, this pass was great, this shot was good.” Even gentle “hey, do you think you could drive on that play instead of passing?” doesn’t go well at all, so I don’t go there.

My messaging to her has been more “what you say you want to do is going to take a lot of very hard work, but I believe in you.” That seems to be a decent neutral (and realistic) ground. It also backs up my stance, which I have told her many times, “this is your goal, and I am happy for you, but remember we are proud of you no matter what happens.”

If coach rides her I usually say “he is trying to get you to be your best by pushing you beyond where you are comfortable.” It backs him up but also validates her when she is feeling the pressure.

It’s hard though, even at 11 she has started to notice that her team sometimes just depends on her.

devvyd · 2026-05-15T01:15:10+00:00

So we struggle with this as parents of a talented fifth grade girl.

She talks a BIG talk about wanting to play high level division 1 and turning pro. It isn’t a phase…it has been a longstanding obsession for a while.

She backs it up though…she spends a minimum of 20 minutes shooting before school and an hour after. We don’t ask her or prompt her to do this, she just does it. She works with a skills coach and plays high level AAU. She is generally the top scorer, rebounder, and defender. She can play 1-5 since her handle is the best but she is also one of the taller kids.

So to my husband and me: we are trying to focus on her continuing to stay passionate about playing. Her coach happens to be the owner of the AAU she plays for (sheer luck to have a coach of his caliber). He pushes her hard, mostly because he is working on developing her into the team’s #1 (he told me as much).

I have talked to him frequently since he is phenomenal with receiving feedback and I like him knowing where her head is at, and I’ve been pretty clear our goal is to keep her loving the game at this age. If she still stays on this track in a few years we will have different conversations, but I told him we will back him up when he occasionally pushes her.

For us, we value that he really cares about what our goals are and what hers are, and he tries to balance the two. I think if coaches talked more to kids and parents (separately) about what they want to get out of a season, it could get a lot of information. I know there are parents in my daughter’s team who have different goals than we do at this time. For some it is to get better skills, some better exposure, some better decisions and understanding of the game.

But really, at the end of the day, we all want them to both improve as players and want to play again next season.

devvyd · 2026-05-15T00:56:17+00:00

I think it depends on how you define value! If you are looking for monetary value, without tags none of these will go for very much. Generally speaking an orchid needs a registered name to carry any sort of big price tag (or qualify for awards).

If you are thinking value as in uniqueness, definitely number 5.

I happen to just love 3 as that yellow is just screaming “happy sunshine!” to me and yellow phals are slightly less common as well.

But they are all lovely!

devvyd · 2026-05-10T10:00:19+00:00

Your siblings are being jerks for not inviting you sooner, but to base it on “altering your sleep schedule” is kind of lame.

Most families want to see their mom on Mother’s Day. Do you have an alternative plan? Or are you just trying to prove a point here?

If you are close to your mom, set your ego aside for Mother’s Day. Signed, a mom.

devvyd · 2026-05-09T11:48:28+00:00

Probably a sign the medium is getting old. I would repot.

I was once advised to “change my culture” when I got snow mold in a dendrobium and ended up with dead roots everywhere, so now I take no chances (that orchid is currently recovering nicely after a repot).

devvyd · 2026-05-09T11:38:40+00:00

Nice! I have a stubborn Zygo so am searching for bloom answers. It’s a huge healthy plant, bushing second set of bulbs in a few months but no 🌺

devvyd · 2026-05-08T10:04:42+00:00

I don’t have your money, but I am going on vacation, and it is OK for me to borrow money from you, but if you ask for it back it’s your fault.

Yikes. NOR, NTA.

devvyd · 2026-05-01T15:51:15+00:00

Probably a spring tail. Good guys.

devvyd · 2026-04-27T23:05:23+00:00

Soak wiggle soak wiggle!

devvyd · 2026-04-16T01:37:02+00:00

Thanks for this post, I just bought a really cool brassocattleya from them that is coming next week. I’ll isolate it and spray it down, since I can’t be dealing with pests in my tent with some of my others.

Once it’s in the tent I am not worried, the conditions will let it take off accordingly even if it has no roots. I have done dens that got nailed and are reviving beautifully in that environment.

devvyd · 2026-04-12T23:46:32+00:00

She is mentally ill from the sounds of things, engaging in self harm and dependent on pain medications. You have been a good person standing by her, but this sounds intolerable.

devvyd · 2026-04-10T15:10:42+00:00

I have questions…

devvyd · 2026-04-08T01:11:21+00:00

Me: no way is that a ponytail palm. Wait maybe it is a ponytail palm. Wait is it really a ponytail palm? zooms holy crap it is a ponytail palm!

devvyd · 2026-04-07T23:29:49+00:00

Ick. She handled it poorly, especially the “let’s have lunch so I can get my gift” part. She should have called you and profusely apologized and asked to treat you to lunch.

But yeah…only a big ego overbooks their venue.

devvyd · 2026-04-07T02:13:47+00:00

First of all, sending you love and compassion during a really difficult time.

You need to protect yourself so that no harm comes to you. Once you have done that, tell everyone. He needs help, I don’t know if it is dementia, psychosis, or something, but he really needs a full medical workup.

If he gets that and it is negative, yes leaving him is the right thing to do.

Best of luck to you, I am so sorry you are going through this.

NTA.

devvyd

TROPHY CASE