I’ve taken to letting my apartment door stand open most all day and evening, when I’m home. I get a nice cross-breeze for one thing. For another, after spending far too long having my door close and living as if I were in a cave, I like the feeling of being welcoming. After all, there is a screen door as well, to keep any bugs out.
Yesterday evening, our resident manager Sean, came by my door – because it was open. He wanted to show me (or someone of the residents) a particular bloom.
At the front entrance of the building, there’s a planter in front of a wind-screen wall just before you enter the actual courtyard of the building. There’s some sort of succulant plant that has climbers that go up the wall and drape over into the courtyard side. Apparently, it is a cactus of some sort — the sort that has a night-blooming flower, a flower that opens just for one night.
And last night, two blooms were open. And our manager wanted to share the beauty of them with someone.
I rarely go out to the front of the building at night. Because the parking is at the back of the building, I’m usually coming and going that way. Most of the time, when I go to the front, it’s daytime, and I’m visiting my mailbox. So I’ve never noticed the blooms or lack of them on the plant.
But they are lovely.
I took a second picture, because… well, why not. The folded up pods are actually older blooms, which had already opened for their “night out,” and now become wallflowers indeed.
